PhD Studentship, funded by the NC3Rs, aims to tackle the problem of treatment-resistant urinary tract infection (UTI).

This three-year PhD studentship, funded by the NC3Rs, aims to tackle the problem of treatment-resistant urinary tract infection (UTI). With 150 million cases annually, UTI imposes an enormous healthcare and economic burden. Unfortunately, traditional antibiotics are suboptimal, with one in four infections recurring within six months, sometimes for years. This cycle of futile treatment fuels the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, one of the greatest threats we face as a global community. AMR already kills millions each year, but if nothing is done, drug-resistant infections could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050 and an annual economic cost of 69 trillion GBP. Therefore, we urgently need to better understand UTI pathophysiology and to create relevant disease models to catalyze more effective treatments.

The vast majority of UTI research has relied on mouse models; however, rodents are not naturally susceptible to UTI and key species differences exist. Recent advances in human cell-based in vitro models of the main uropathogen reservoirs ­– gut, bladder and kidney – are promising, but they allow infection to be studied only in silos, whereas natural UTI involves transit of bacteria, from gut to urethra to bladder, and sometimes further into the kidney, with behaviour and gene expression modified dynamically during this journey.

We have recently capitalised on advances in 'body-on-a-chip' technology, where different tissue organoids are linked via microfluidic chambers, to embark on creating a human 'pelvis-on-a-chip' (POAC) platform comprising gut, bladder, ureter and kidney organoids. To our knowledge, such a system has never before been reported. Not only would this novel device allow the seamless transit of bacteria, but the fluid-flow component of microfluidics would emulate urine flow patterns, which are known to affect both host cell and bacterial behaviour. Using the POAC, we will be able to study bacterial/host interactions during ascending bacterial infection and to trial novel antimicrobial strategies. You will be part of a team working to bring this idea to life, embedded within a larger consortium, “Beyond Antibiotics”, an £8M EPSRC Programme Grant, catalyzing a cross-disciplinary team from UCL, Oxford and Ulster in conjunction with industrial and healthcare partners to! develop innovative new therapies to tackle AMR.

Candidates can be from anywhere in the world, but due to the terms of the funding body, only people eligible for “home fees” status in the UK will have their PhD fully funded. Overseas students may apply, but they would have to pay the difference in fees.

• You will be a science graduate with at least an upper second-class honours degree (2:1, or equivalent qualification) in a relevant subject
• You will have an eagerness to learn new techniques, and the ability to work across disciplines and liaise with multiple collaborator groups
• You will have passion, drive, curiosity and evidence of past excellent performance in academia
• You will have the ability to organize your time well, take meticulous experimental notes and communicate about your work in both writing and orally
• You will have an interest in the 3Rs space: the replacement, reduction and refinement of animals in research
• Some research experience outside of the university curriculum is desirable. Contact Prof Jennifer Rohn for any informal enquiries: .
• To obtain Job Description please contact Kinga Podolak

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