PhD studentship in Neuromuscular Disorders: Dissecting the Molecular Mechanisms of Muscle Damage in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD)

Award summary

100% of home tuition fees and an annual stipend (22/23 rate £17,668). International candidates must fund the difference between home and international fees 

Overview

Are you interested in exploring the molecular and cellular mechanisms active in muscular dystrophies?

In this project you will work on dissecting the biological pathways leading to skeletal muscle degeneration in a prevalent and currently untreatable form of muscular dystrophy called Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). FSHD is characterized by a unique genetic lesion, whose discovery has challenged researchers for years, and investigating its fascinating pathophysiology is a field of active research with new hopes of treatment development.

What are the programs of cell death activated in FSHD? What are the mechanisms of muscle atrophy taking place in the “in vivo” complex microenvironment? How do they contribute to explain FSHD pathophysiology? How can they be tackled? We will go through all these questions studying and deeply characterizing muscle biopsies in the different stages of damage and other patients’ samples.

During the PhD you will be able to apply and finally master several techniques, ranging from basic histology to molecular biology. You will be working in an internationally renowned centre specialized in genetic neuromuscular diseases combining clinical and basic researchers, giving you the opportunity to interact with several leaders expert in the different aspects of these diseases providing a holistic understanding of muscular dystrophies.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: January 2024

Award duration: The funding covers a three-year PhD.  

Sponsor: Newcastle University, Faculty Medical Sciences 

Supervisors: Professor Giorgio Tasca, Translational and Clinical Research Institute  

Eligibility criteria

You must have/expect to achieve a 1st or 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent in an appropriate scientific speciality, a Masters degree in a relevant subject would be advantageous. 

Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5, with a minimum of 5.5 in each subsection. 

How to apply

To apply for a studentship, you must register and apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal

In the ‘Course choice’ tab:

• Select ‘Postgraduate Research’ in the 'Type of Study' field 
• Select ‘Full Time’ in the ‘Mode of Study’ field 
• Select ‘2023’ in the ‘Year of Entry’ field 
• Enter programme code 8440F in the ‘Course Title’ field 
• Leave the ‘Research Area’ field blank 
• Press ‘Search’ 
• Select ‘PhD Translational and Clinical Research (FT)’ 
• Save selection 
• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form  
• The studentship code TC065 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field  

When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal.

Contact details

For further details, please contact:

Professor Giorgio Tasca
Translational and Clinical Research Institute
E-mail: giorgio.tasca@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 241 8602

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