PhD Studentship: The Role of Neurovascular Potassium Channels in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease

This project provides an annual stipend of £19,237. 

Project advert

There are age and sex-differences in the brain’s control of breathing, but the cellular and molecular basis of these differences are largely unknown. Respiratory compromise and disruption of CO2 and O2 sensing has been associated with several pathological states that are associated with age and sex differences, including sleep apnea, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s Disease.  This project will investigate whether there are sex-specific changes in brainstem neurovascular potassium channels that control our breathing in ageing and in Alzheimer’s Disease. 

The PhD candidate will receive training in multiple neurophysiology and neurogenetic techniques, primarily given by the specialised supervisory team which includes Prof. Jurek Krupinski (Manchester Met & HUMT, Barcelona), Prof. Chris Murgatroyd and Dr Fred Jones, as well as in collaboration with Dr Adam Greenstein (University of Manchester) and Dr Andrew Robinson (Manchester Brain Bank). The project is based at Manchester Met within our new Faculty of Science and Engineering Building and newly refurbished research laboratories with state-of-the-art facilities and technical support. We aim to transform health by identifying novel targets for the treatment of dementia, but importantly to also address gender differences in dementia research as well as sleep health and maintenance of normal cognitive function as we age.

Project aims and objectives

The overall aim of this project is to determine age and dementia associated differences in brainstem astroglial Kir4.1 channels.

Objectives include:

• Determine sex differences in astroglial Kir4.1 channel expression and whether specific genetic polymorphisms are associated with this, or expression levels in Alzheimer’s Disease patients and model tissue.
• Confirm astroglial Kir4.1 channel activity is controlled by day/night regulating genes and is important for glymphatic system function.

Specific requirements of the candidate

Successful applicants will be active researchers in our new state-of-the-art £117M labs and Dalton Building facilities.

Applicants must submit a CV and Cover letter/Personal statement and have all essential criteria and at least 2 of the following desirable skills and experiences.

Qualifications:

• Essential: BSc in Biosciences with a 2.1 degree minimum, preferably in a field related to neurosciences.
• Desirable: MSc / MRes in Cell and Molecular Biology or Physiology (preferably Neurophysiology).

Desirable Skills & Experiences:

• Immunohistochemistry/immunocytochemistry.
• Confocal microscopy.
• Western blotting.
• Cell culturing.
• Calcium imaging.
• Patch-clamp electrophysiology.
• Genome Wide Association Studies and/or Single Nucleotide Polymorphism analysis.

How to apply

Interested applicants should contact Dr Virginia Hawkins (V.Hawkins@mmu.ac.uk) for an informal discussion prior to applying.

To apply you will need to complete the online application form for a full-time PhD in Neuroscience (or download the PGR application form).

You should also complete the (PGR thesis proposal and Narrative CV) form addressing the project’s aims and objectives, demonstrating how the skills you have maps to the area of research and why you see this area as being of importance and interest. Contacting the supervisory team to help prepare this is strongly advised and your submission needs to include a CV and Cover letter/Personal statement. 

If applying online, you will need to upload your statement in the supporting documents section, or email the application form and statement to PGRAdmissions@mmu.ac.uk.

Closing date: 14 October 2024. Expected start date: January 2025 for Home students and April 2025 for International students. 

Please quote the reference: SciEng-2024-Alzheimer’s-Disease

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