RVC Supervisor(s): Professor Caroline Wheeler-Jones

Lead RVC Supervisor: Dr Adam Fellows 

Department: Comparative Biomedical Sciences

Background, aims and objectives:

This fully funded PhD studentship provides an exciting opportunity to work on an innovative and multi-disciplinary project in the field of cardiovascular disease and new approach methodologies (NAMs).  

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death across the world, but current laboratory methods are poorly representative of human physiology and disease. Recently, we have developed a novel technique for producing replicas of human arteries in vitro, which are known as “Engineered Pulmonary Artery Tissues” or “EPATs”. EPATs are highly suited to pre-clinical disease modelling of pulmonary hypertension, a fatal disease characterised by high blood pressure in the lungs. This PhD project will develop EPATs into a biologically relevant drug testing platform which has the potential to transform the way we research cardiovascular disease in the laboratory and eventually improve the lives of patients.  

The candidate will be trained in a variety of laboratory techniques including cell culture, molecular biology assays, pharmacological profiling and state-of-the-art confocal microscopy in the world-leading research facilities at the RVC. Further training will be provided on bioengineering approaches such as 3D-printing, silicone moulding, tissue engineering and bespoke image analysis. The candidate will also have access to cells obtained from patients with pulmonary hypertension as well as the opportunity to collaborate with clinical colleagues and industry partners. Our objective is that this project will promote the translation of findings from bench to bedside and reduce our reliance on animal-based experiments.

References

1. Reed, E., Fellows A., et al. Extracellular Matrix Profiling and Disease Modelling in Engineered Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Tissues (2022). Matrix Biology Plus, 16, 100122.
2. Humbert, M., et al. 2022 ESC/ERS Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension (2022). European Respiratory Journal, 61(1), 2200879.
3. Pinton, L., et al. 3D human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived bioengineered skeletal muscles for tissue, disease and therapy modeling (2023). Nature Protocols, 18(4), 1337–1376.

Requirements

Essential:

• Applicants must hold, or expect to obtain, an undergraduate or graduate degree in a related subject

Desirable:

• Background in biomedical science, bioengineering, or cell biology.

Fees and Funding

This is a 3-year fully-funded studentship, funded by the RVC Internal Studentship Award. This funding covers 'Home' rate tuition fees and a stipend. Additional grants and bursaries are also offered by the RVC, subject to eligibility. All laboratory consumables and running costs will be covered by the host supervisors. 

The studentship will commence in October 2025 at the RVC's Camden campus.

This studentship is open to applicants eligible for "Home" fees. International applicants are welcome to apply but must be able to fund the difference between "Home" and "Overseas" tuition fees. 

EU/EEA and Swiss national students starting studies in the 2021/22 academic year or later academic years may no longer be eligible to pay the “home” rate of tuition fees nor claim any financial support for their studies dependent on your personal circumstances (including immigration status and residence history in the UK). To help determine whether you would be eligible for home fees please see the UKCISA's 'Who pays 'home' fees for higher education in England?' guide found here.

If you are interested in applying for this PhD project, please follow the link below. Please use your personal statement to demonstrate any previous skills or experience you have which are relevant to this project.

How to Apply

For more information on the application process and English Language requirements see How to Apply.

Interviews are expected to take place in person at our Camden campus in late March 2025.

Prospective applicants are welcome to contact the lead supervisor, Dr Adam Fellows (afellows@rvc.ac.uk), at any time to discuss the project.

Deadline: 12/02/2025