Show/hide main menu

Thalamic Sensory Gating in Migraine

To start: October 2019

Award(s): 1 fully funded 4 year BBSRC CTP PhD studentship between IoPPN & Eli Lilly.

Project: 

Migraine is the most common neurological disorder globally. There is a major unmet need for mechanistic insight to determine its underlying pathophysiology and novel therapeutic targets. While classically considered a pain condition, migraineurs experience multisensory hypersensitivity to light (photophobia), sound (phonophobia), smell (osmophobia) and touch (allodynia) that indicate a key role for the thalamus.

Understanding the role of the sensory thalamus in modulating migraine susceptibility and chronification is a key challenge. In this project we will build on our prior work highlighting the thalamus as a key relay for visual and sensory migraine-related processing as well as a potential target for anti-migraine therapies.

The broad aim is to determine the role of the thalamus in the abnormal processing of migraine-related multisensory information. It predicts that abnormal thalamic gating of sensory information results in aberrant activation of diverse thalamocortical networks giving rise to the diverse symptomatology of migraine.

The project will map the interactions between multisensory and trigeminal head pain networks in-vivo using state of the art viral tracing techniques (0-12 months). Using a combination of optogenetic/chemogenetic approaches with preclinical behavioural and electrophysiological (thalamic multi-channel electrode recording) models of migraine, the project will characterise the functional consequences of their modulation (10-24 months). Finally, we will explore novel therapeutic targets to modulate these dysfunctional networks (24-36 months) and where appropriate these will be translated into the clinic.

The student will ideally have some experience of in in-vivo skills including surgical, optogenetic/chemogenetic, electrophysiology or behavioural approaches, however, training will be included allowing the student to master a number of highly desirable specialist skills above and beyond standard laboratory procedures.

The student will acquire cutting-edge in-vivo electrophysiological and behavioural techniques to include state of the art opto- and chemogenetic approaches. The project will join one of the world’s leading headache/migraine research laboratories in the department of basic and clinical neuroscience at the IoPPN, KCL with a key industrial partner in Eli Lilly. The student will be expected to conduct a short period of research with Eli Lilly.

The studentship will be part of the wider GERAS Collaborative Training Partnership, a BBSRC-funded Collaborative Training Partnership (CTP) established between Eli Lilly and Company Ltd, Exeter University and King’s College London. Between 2017 and 2023, the CTP will deliver 11 four-year studentships in priority areas of Bioscience for health, World class underpinning 

bioscience, and Exploiting new ways of working. The research area of GERAS is focused on the biological basis of lifespan and healthy ageing, particularly ageing and the brain. The primary objective is the data-driven generation of new knowledge on the development and maintenance of health across the life course with the long-term objective of promoting health in later life. The training focus of the CTP is on the skills needed to understand complex biological systems from a data perspective, with core training in Bioinformatics, Programming and Coding, Statistics, and Data Science alongside professional skills training. The CTP will provide PhD students with a first-rate, challenging research training experience within the context of mutually beneficial research collaborations.

Supervisors: Dr Philip R Holland (KCL) & Dr Keith A Wafford (Eli Lilly)

Entry requirements: Applicants should have a Bachelors degree with 2:1 honours. A 2:2 degree may be considered only where applicants also offer a Masters with Merit.

Award types and eligibility: Fully funded for four years, Home/EU tuitions fees (studentship not available to Overseas applicants), annual stipend and some research and travel costs.

How to apply:

Applicants must complete and submit an online admissions application, via the admissions portal by midnight (23:59 GMT), Sunday 19th May 2019. 

On the ‘Choosing a programme’ page, please select ‘Research degrees’ and enter the keyword Clinical Neuroscience Research MPhil/PhD (Full-time).

In your application, you will be asked to include:

  • Academic Transcripts – where applicable, academic transcripts must be submitted with the online admissions application
  • Details of your qualifications (you will need to attach copies)
  • Details of previous employment
  • A personal statement describing your interests and why you wish to apply for this project. Please include this as an attachment rather than using the text box.
  • Academic References – all admissions applications require two supporting references. If the applicant is relying on his/her referees to submit references directly to the College after he/she has submitted his/her admissions application, then the applicant must ensure that their chosen referees are made aware of the funding deadline.

In the Funding section, please tick box 5 and include the following reference:

MIGRAINE-BBSRC-2019

Please note there is no need to complete the Research Proposal section in your application as the project has already been set.

You are welcome to email Philip.holland@kcl.ac.uk (supervisor) for more information regarding the project and studentship.

If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact Olivia Rees, Postgraduate Research Administrative Assistant. 

References must be received by the deadline for the applicant to be eligible.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Closing Dates: 19th May 2019 (23:59 GMT)

(Please note that admissions portal cannot operate deadlines to specific times; only dates, so applicants will be able to submit up to 23:59 on the day you specify).

Interviews: End of May (t.b.c)

Further Information: 

About the IoPPN (link to http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/about/index.aspx)

Studying at the IoPPN (link to http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/study/index.aspx)

MSc programmes at the IoPPN (link to http://www.kcl.ac.uk/prospectus/school/institute-of-psychiatry-psychology-and-neuroscience/programmes#graduate)

Research degrees at the IoPPN (link to http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/study/prospective-students/programmes-of-study/pgr/welcome.aspx)

KCL Researcher Development Programme (link to http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/school/RDP/training-and-development/Researcher-Development-Programme-2014-15.pdf)

We can also add additional links relevant to your particular studentship.

Headache Group: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/depts/bcn/our-research/neurology/goadsby-holland-headache-group/index

 

Sitemap Site help Terms and conditions  Privacy policy  Accessibility  Modern slavery statement  Contact us

© 2024 King's College London | Strand | London WC2R 2LS | England | United Kingdom | Tel +44 (0)20 7836 5454