Brain Waves: Modelling human neural induction with pluripotent stem cells (WHEELER_U26DTP)

How is a healthy nervous system is formed in the embryo? This question is fundamental for understanding evolution of human development and inborn errors that cause congenital defects and miscarriage. However, around the stage of implantation into the uterus, human embryos become inaccessible for study.

Fortunately, pluripotent stem cells may be induced to self-organise into neural tissues in vitro. In this PhD project you will exploit this experimental model to investigate how waves of coordinated cell differentiation contribute to human neural induction in vitro. You will use a combination of live time-lapse imaging, molecular analyses, and optionally, computational modelling. This project aims to advance our understanding of human neural induction and ultimately to shed new light on human developmental disease.

The project provides interdisciplinary training in molecular, stem cell and developmental biology, microscopy, and bioinformatics, with an additional opportunity to learn computer modelling. You will be part of a dedicated developmental biology laboratory, where you will work and learn alongside other highly interactive research groups as part of the Norwich Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Network.

We are excited to hear from potential applicants and encourage informal enquiries. Please contact Prof. Grant Wheeler (grant.wheeler@uea.ac.uk) or Dr Tim Grocott (t.grocott@uea.ac.uk) for further information.