Megakaryocyte mysteries: How high fat diets reshape blood and immunity (WOJTOWICZ_E26DTP)

Platelets are increasingly recognised as key regulators of immune responses, extending their function far beyond their traditional role in blood clotting. This project will investigate how a high-fat diet and obesity impact megakaryocyte function and platelet production, and how these changes impair the immune response to infection.

Platelets are produced by megakaryocytes, and their quantity and function can be influenced by metabolic status. Our focus is on understanding how obesity, through altered megakaryocyte and platelet production and function, may impair the immune response. Our preliminary data suggest that obesity induces distinct gene expression in some but not all megakaryocytes and that not all megakaryocytes contribute to platelet production. This potentially suggests the number and immune function of platelets will be altered.

As part of this research, you will use advanced technologies including imaging flow cytometry, lineage tracing and single-cell platforms available in the Earlham Institute laboratories, to dissect the pathways by which high-fat diet and obesity reshape megakaryocyte and platelet-mediated immune functions, which could serve as potential targets for pharmacological interventions in the obese and elderly. You will also benefit from collaborations with pharmaceutical companies, offering opportunities to translate your findings into meaningful applications. You will be part of a highly collaborative and supportive research environment, with inter-disciplinary expertise in molecular biology, cellular genomics, single-cell analysis, and computational biology. This PhD program offers a unique opportunity to contribute to our understanding of immunology and megakaryocyte biology and its implications for health and disease. If you are passionate about making a difference in human health studies, we invite you to apply and be part of this exciting research.