PhD at Queen's University Belfast in Understanding the Role of the Vascular Clock in Diabetic Retinopathy
For further details and application: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/understanding-the-role-of-the-vascular-clock-in-diabetic-retinopathy/?p180841
The deadline is on the 4th of March 2025.
Objectives:
1. To investigate the role of the vascular clock in EC survival during early-stage DR using diabetic rodent models and human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs).
2. To evaluate whether the circadian clock regulates blood-retina barrier integrity and vessel permeability in vivo using STZ-induced diabetic mice and in vitro using HRECs.
3. To investigate how circadian rhythms affect leukocyte adhesion and infiltration in DR. The role of adhesion molecules in endothelial-leukocyte interactions will be examined both in vivo and in vitro.
4. To explore the role of the vascular clock in pathological angiogenesis such as occurring in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) using the oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model, and in vitro assays to study vessel formation and neovascularization.
The PhD student will work alongside two postdoctoral researchers and an animal technician within the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine (WWIEM), in a collaborative environment with focus on vascular and vision research. This collaborative environment, shared resources, and expertise in diabetic retinopathy will ensure the success of the project.
This project could offer new therapeutic strategies to target the vascular clock, potentially leading to better treatments for both early and advanced stages of DR. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences, contributing significantly to our understanding of endothelial circadian rhythms in diabetic vascular diseases.