UV Radiation and Corneal Damage Research Scholarship
Value
$32,500 per year (RTP Stipend rate, indexed annually); additional funds ($7.5k) during the course of the PhD for travel and other PhD-related expenses.
Duration
3.5 years
Status
Closed
Opens
01/01/2023Closes
01/11/2023Overview
The Centre for Inflammation currently has a full-time postgraduate scholarships available for suitably qualified candidates with a strong Honours degree (or equivalent) in biomedical science, pharmacology, chemistry, biomedical engineering or pharmacy to undertake research studies leading to a PhD focused on how UV radiation damages the cornea.
Along with the skin, the cornea is the tissue most exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from sunlight. The outermost cells, which form a multilayered epithelium, absorb much of the UVR and must deal with its damaging effects to maintain a normal shape and clarity; otherwise, vision impairing conditions such as keratoconus and ocular cancers can arise. We have found that low levels of UVR, equivalent to 80 minutes of Sydney sunshine, cause corneal epithelial cells to increase proliferation and shedding from the surface, while maintaining tissue structure and clarity. However, chronic exposure to these low levels of UV radiation can contribute to a condition called keratoconus, which can require corneal transplants or lead to blindness if untreated.
This project will investigate the signalling pathways by which corneal epithelia cells respond to UVR and the basic mechanisms by which epithelial stratification occurs. It will use advanced fluorescence microscopy of living corneas to visualise epithelial cells as they divide, migrate and stratify. The corneas from novel reporter strains of genetically modified mice will be used to locate and measure signalling responses in the living tissue, and probed with pathway-specific drugs to determine their importance.
Who is eligible?
- Applicants must be either permanent Australian residents or New Zealand citizens.
- Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in a biomedical or biological science
- Have a strong academic record and prior laboratory experience
- Completion of Honours degree with First Class, or Second Class Division 1; or MSc Research; or MSc Coursework with a research thesis of at least 6 months.
Selection process
- be highly motivated and capable of independent work
- have a strong team focus
- possess excellent communication skills and the ability to work with a diverse range of people and within established collaborative teams
- have knowledge of a research/laboratory environment and requirements
- be computer literate in standard research software
- be able to maintain thorough laboratory records
- experience with standard lab techniques such as ELISA, RNA extraction, reverse transcription, qPCR, western blotting, cell culture, aseptic technique, histological analysis, Immunohistochemistry, Immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and primer design.
- Be able to conduct in vivo mouse models
Need more information? Contact...
Please contact Phil Hansbro for further information.
Other information
Along with the skin, the cornea is the tissue most exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from sunlight. The outermost cells, which form a multilayered epithelium, absorb much of the UVR and must deal with its damaging effects to maintain a normal shape and clarity; otherwise, vision impairing conditions such as keratoconus and ocular cancers can arise. We have found that low levels of UVR, equivalent to 80 minutes of Sydney sunshine, cause corneal epithelial cells to increase proliferation and shedding from the surface, while maintaining tissue structure and clarity. However, chronic exposure to these low levels of UV radiation can contribute to a condition called keratoconus, which can require corneal transplants or lead to blindness if untreated.
This project will investigate the signalling pathways by which corneal epithelia cells respond to UVR to cause keratoconus and the basic mechanisms by which epithelial stratification occurs. It will use advanced fluorescence microscopy of living corneas to visualise epithelial cells as they divide, migrate and stratify. The corneas from novel reporter strains of genetically modified mice will be used to locate and measure signalling responses in the living tissue, and probed with pathway-specific drugs to determine their importance.
Relevant publications:
*Park M, Richardson A, Pandzic E, Lobo EP, Whan R, Watson SL, Lyons JG, Wakefield D and Di Girolamo N (2019) "Visualizing the Contribution of Keratin-14(+) Limbal Epithelial Precursors in Corneal Wound Healing." Stem Cell Reports 12, 14-28
*Delic NC, Lyons JG, Di Girolamo N and Halliday GM (2017) "Damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation on the cornea." Photochem Photobiol 93, 920-929
*Richardson A, Lobo EP, Delic NC, Myerscough MR, Lyons JG, Wakefield D and Di Girolamo N (2017) "Keratin-14-positive precursor cells spawn a population of migratory corneal epithelia that maintain tissue mass throughout life." Stem Cell Reports 9, 1081-1096
*Lobo EP, Delic NC, Richardson A, Raviraj V, Halliday GM, Di Girolamo N, Myerscough MR and Lyons JG (2016) "Self-organized centripetal movement of corneal epithelium in the absence of external cues." Nat Commun 7, 12388
*Di Girolamo N, Bobba S, Raviraj V, Delic NC, Slapetova I, Nicovich PR, Halliday GM, Wakefield D, Whan R and Lyons JG (2015) "Tracing the fate of limbal epithelial progenitor cells in the murine cornea." Stem Cells 33, 157-169
*Park M, Richardson A, Pandzic E, Lobo EP, Lyons JG, Di Girolamo N. “Peripheral (not central) corneal epithelia contribute to the closure of an annular debridement injury.” Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2019; Accepted.
