Development of an Advanced Age-Related Cellular Model to Improve Understanding of Neurodegenerative Diseases

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Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are age-related disorders, caused by the death of neurons in the brain and spinal column. They affect >60 million people worldwide and there are currently no effective treatments for these diseases.Stem cell-derived cellular models are powerful in vitro tools used in biomedical research and pharmaceutical industry to study disease mechanisms and find new drugs. However, most commonly-used stem cell-derived cellular models do not mimic the features associated with aging, which is not ideal for studying age-related disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases.Therefore, this collaborative project between the Universities of Nottingham, Birmingham and Leicester aims to:- Generate a cellular model for 'aged' neurons- Identify markers characteristic of 'aged' neurons- Explore the role of key regulators of neuronal agingLonger-term, the cellular model that will be developed in this project could be used to find and test new drugs for neurodegenerative diseases and potentially other age-related neurological conditions. The PhD student on this project will learn advanced techniques in stem cell technology, bioengineering, proteomics, the use of animal models and will acquire quantitative and interdisciplinary skills, and expertise in whole organism biology.