Positions

PhD Research Scholarship Available

Human embryonic stem cells differentiate into cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) under the control of Wnt signalling

Many congenital heart diseases can arise as a consequence of poor heart specification. WNT/β-catenin signalling is clearly important, but its regulation of heart development appears complicated with multiple roles during different stages of cardiac development and even possibly in different heart lineages.

We will use human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to model cardiac development in strictly chemically defined medium to dissect these context-specific roles of WNT signalling with tissue-penetrating, bioavailable small molecule activators and inhibitors at different stages of development and in various cardiac lineages.

The student will be trained in hESC cell culture and analytical techniques such as RT/qPCR and immunocytochemistry as well as the techniques to study cell signalling pathways. Gene microarrays and RNA-Seq may also be used in the characterisation of differentiated cell populations and the student will gain bioinformatics and a certain amount of systems biology experience.

This project will ultimately help understand the Gene Regulatory Networks controlled by WNT signalling in heart development. This project builds on recent breakthroughs in understanding WNT signalling in embryonic heart development using Xenopus as a model system (Hoppler lab), and the ability to differentiate hESCs in culture into paraxial and lateral plate mesoderm populations (Docherty lab).

The deadline for applications for this studentship has now passed.

Direct enquiries are also wellcome to Prof. Stefan Hoppler: s.p.hoppler@abdn.ac.uk or Prof. Kevin Docherty: k.docherty@abdn.ac.uk