Early response mechanosensitive RNA binding proteins in cardiac fibrosis

Award details

Start date: 1st October 2025

Duration: 3 years

Sponsor: MRC and BHF Centre of Research Excellence

The MRC/BHF Centre of Excellence for Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics (RE-ACT) aims to develop new therapeutics to prevent and treat heart failure (HF). These therapeutics are sought in the category of coding or non-coding nucleic acids, to be delivered to the heart with optimised viral or non-viral methods, with the purpose of reprogramming the heart to an endogenous reparative and regenerative state. The ultimate goal of RE-ACT is to progress one or more clinical products to investigational new drug application at the MHRA/EMA/FDA and first-in-human clinical trials.

This project will leverage our experience with induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based models of cardiac diseases to investigate the function of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) in cardiac fibroblast activation and ECM deposition. The selected student will use human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to generate cardiac fibroblasts through protocols already in use in our laboratory. They will establish advanced methods to identify RBP activation and mRNA alternative splicing (AS) events in pro-fibrotic hiPSC-derived cardiac fibroblasts. They will focus on RBPs displaying early response to ECM remodelling to further our understanding of the pathophysiology of the fibrotic process. They will collaborate with colleagues in i3S Institute, Porto, Portugal and use mechanical actuation, surface micropatterning, RT-qPCR and patient cells to confirm AS occurrence, RBP clinical relevance and their mechanosensitivity. They will eventually perform loss- and gain-of-function experiments to assess the effect of RBP modification on relevant AS events. In line with the ultimate goal of RE-ACT Centre of Excellence, the overarching goal of the project consists in the identification of novel therapeutic targets for the early treatment of cardiac fibrosis. 

For enquiries please contact SCMMS-PGR@kcl.ac.uk 

Award value

Stipend: The studentships provide a generous stipend (currently £22,780 in Year 1)

Bench Fees: Bence fees relevant to the project will be provided.

Tuition Fees: Home tuition fees will be fully covered by this award.

Eligibility criteria

The programme welcomes applications from a diverse range of backgrounds. Applicants will be reviewed on qualifications, experience and potential to undertake a research degree.

To be eligible for consideration applicants must possess, or be expected to achieve, a 1^st or high upper 2^nd class degree (or equivalent) in a biomedical science subject. Applications from students with a relevant Masters’ degree are also welcome.

English Language Requirements:

If English is not your first language you will be required to provide evidence that you meet the minimum English requirements of the Faculty details can be found on our website. If you are unable to provide this confirmation before applying any offer you are made would be conditional upon you meeting these requirements prior to enrolment and no later than 4 weeks before the course starts

 

Application process

To apply, please visit the King’s Apply website at https://myapplication.kcl.ac.uk/ and follow the steps outlined below. • Register a new account and login. • Open a new application. • Select the programme: Select: ‘Cardiovascular Medicine and Science Research MPhil/PhD (Full-time)’. Your application cannot be considered if submitted under the incorrect programme. Complete and submit your application noting the following: 1. Include a supporting personal statement, no project proposal is needed. 2. 2 References 3. CV 4. Funding – select drop-down ‘4. Grant Awarding Body’. For the award status, select 'Advertised Scholarship' and in the box marked ‘Ref No.:’, please enter: ‘REACT25’.