PhD studentship: Spatial Metabolomics for Precision Medicine in Metabolic Diseases
- Vacancy Reference Number
- Spatial Metabolomics
- Organisation:
- Imperial College London
- Closing Date
- 20 Aug 2023
- Salary
- £19,668 per annum
- Address
- Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College London
- Duration
- 3 years
Overview:
Obesity and metabolic syndrome are closely linked, reaching epidemic proportions and increase risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease and certain cancers. Ectopic storage of excess lipids and consequent lipotoxicity is a key factor in cellular and organ dysfunction. Regulation of fat storage is complex, involving genetic and environmental factors, and through space and time. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) allows simultaneous spatial mapping of hundreds of small molecules across the surface of a tissue slice. This enables us to interrogate the role, and spatial distributions, of metabolites and lipids in the context of specific disease processes. MSI can be integrated in multi-modal imaging and spatial systems biology approaches potentially transforming the understanding of metabolite signalling and immunometabolism in metabolic diseases. Using MSI and spatial biology, we will study how metabolism is dysregulated spatially in the progression of NAFLD with a particular focus on the link between metabolic microenvironment and different cell populations (e.g. macrophages, stellate cells) and phenotypes (e.g. proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation). There is scope to expand the project to study other metabolic tissues (e.g. pancreas, heart, adipose, kidney).
Training:
You will gain training and experience in mass spectrometry-based workflows, including sample preparation, instrument operation, data processing and biological interpretation. You will use MSI to study the spatial organisation of metabolites and lipids in tissue, determining how these are altered with disease stage and with changing cell populations. This will involve metabolic profiling of clinical samples using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and multi-modal imaging of tissue (e.g. MALDI-MSI; DESI-MSI; immunohistochemistry; classical histology). Multivariate statistics and machine learning will be used to interrogate the data.
Location and PhD registration:
You will be registered at Imperial College London and primarily based in the Division of Systems Medicine at Imperial College London, home to one of the largest centres for metabolic spectroscopy in the world. It hosts the MRC-NIHR National Phenome Centre and the NIHR BRC Genomics Facility specialising in Spatial Genomics, and a staff of over 100 researchers. You will be collaborating with and travel to CNRS UMR8199 EGENODIA, Lille, France as part of the International Research Project in Integrative Metabolism.
Supervision will be provided by Dr Zoe Hall (Division of Systems Medicine) and Prof. Marc-Emmanuel Dumas (CNRS UMR8199 Lille, France & Division of Systems Medicine). The research will be multidisciplinary, being primarily experimental, although it is anticipated that you will be involved in data processing and data analysis of the project data.
Person specification:
The studentship is open to UK/Ireland applicants only with a relevant Masters degree in an appropriate chemical, biochemical or biomedical sciences subject and ideally with prior experience in metabolomics or mass spectrometry imaging. The project would suit someone with a strong mathematical background with an interest in mathematical or statistical modelling of biological systems.
Further Information
UK/Ireland applicants only
Contact Details
For all enquires please contact Dr. Zoe Hall (zoe.hall@imperial.ac.uk)
To apply, please send a covering letter, full CV and contact details of two referees, one of whom must be academic, to Dr. Zoe Hall (zoe.hall@imperial.ac.uk)