About the project
Applications are invited for an exciting new PhD studentship by the Gerald Kerkut Charitable Trust and partly funded by the Gift of Sight Appeal. Stargardt disease is an autosomal recessive disorder and the most common macular dystrophy, with onset from childhood, in early or late adult life. It results in the irreversible loss of vision and is solely caused by mutations in the ATP-binding cassette subfamily-A member 4 (ABCA4) gene.
Although ~1200 ABCA4 variants are linked with disease, all patients share a common feature, where toxic intracellular macromolecules called lipofuscin accumulates within retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells that maintains photoreceptors.
The build-up of lipofuscin results in the atrophy of RPE cells and overlying photoreceptors, which has no effective treatment. The project will first develop an in-vitro RPE cell model of Stargardt disease to understand the pathophysiology of this condition.
Next, the student will use Stargardt RPE cell-lines to test an altogether novel therapeutic strategy to remove lipofuscin by triggering the biogenesis of new/healthy lysosomes. Potential findings could lead to a new treatment for patients.
The successful applicant will join a dynamic research team consisting of undergraduate/PGR students and postdocs. The candidate is expected to be highly motivated with an excellent work ethic.
The project is full-time. You'll be based at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
