RVC Supervisor(s): Dr Elisa Vasilopoulou, Professor Jonathan Elliott, Dr Rosanne Jepson

Department: Comparative Biomedical Sciences

Background, aims and objectives:

Chronic kidney disease is an extremely common but heterogeneous condition in cats that adversely affects their health and welfare and is the most frequent cause of death in cats over five years of age. There is currently no cure, and the only treatment is prescription of renal diet aiming to slow disease progression, the rate of which varies greatly between individual cats.

One of the common features of chronic kidney disease in cats and other species is inflammation and fibrosis. Studies in other species have demonstrated that the family of beta thymosin proteins have protective properties in chronic inflammatory conditions. Our preliminary data in cats with chronic kidney disease suggests that thymosin beta 10 (TB10) levels are elevated with kidney disease progression, indicating that TB10 is worthy of further study.

The aim of this project is to investigate the role of thymosin beta 10 (TB10) in kidney disease progression.

This work will improve our understanding of the factors that modify the progression of kidney disease in cats and determine the role of TB10 in the pathophysiology of chronic kidney disease. The identification of such pathways may lead to novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of kidney disease in cats, which may also be applicable to other species including human patients with chronic kidney disease.

The successful candidate will be part of the cardiovascular and renal biology group and will receive training and develop expertise in a range of techniques, including  primary cell culture, immunohistochemistry, molecular biology techniques, clinical case definition and classification and statistical analysis as well as scientific writing and presentation skills.

References

1.  Lawson JS, Elliott J, Wheeler-Jones C, Syme H, Jepson R.  Renal fibrosis in feline chronic kidney disease: known mediators and mechanisms of injury. Vet J. 2015; 203(1):18-26.
2. Lawson JS, Liu HH, Syme HM, Purcell R, Wheeler-Jones CPD, Elliott J. The cat as a naturally occurring model of renal interstitial fibrosis: Characterisation of primary feline proximal tubular epithelial cells and comparative pro-fibrotic effects of TGF-beta1. PLoS One. 2018;13(8):e0202577.
3. Mason WJ, Jafree DJ, Pomeranz G, Kolatsi-Joannou M, Rottner AK, Pacheco S, Moulding DA, Wolf A, Kupatt C, Peppiatt-Wildman C, Papakrivopoulou E, Riley PR, Long DA, Vasilopoulou E. (2022) Systemic gene therapy with thymosin B4 alleviates glomerular injury in mice. Scientific Reports 12(1):12172
4. Vasilopoulou E, Kolatsi-Joannou M, Lindenmeyer MT, White KE, Robson MG, Cohen CD, Sebire NJ, Riley PR, Winyard PJ, Long DA. Loss of endogenous thymosin beta4 accelerates glomerular disease. Kidney Int 2016;90:1056-70.

Requirements

Essential:

• Must hold or be expected to achieve a bachelors or masters degree in a relevant subject (e.g. veterinary medicine, bioveterinary sciences, biology, biochemistry, physiology).
• Must meet our standard PhD entry requirements including English language 

Desirable:

• Previous experience in relevant laboratory techniques such as molecular biology or cell culture
• Strong interest in disease pathophysiology
• Desire to translate research outcomes such that they impact clinical practice

Fees and Funding

This is a 3-year fully-funded studentship, funded by BSAVA PetSavers and the RVC. This funding covers 'Home' rate tuition fees and a stipend. 

The studentship will commence on Tuesday 1st October 2024 at the RVC's Camden campus.

This studentship is open to applicants eligible for "Home" fees. International applicants are welcome to apply but must be able to fund the difference between "Home" and "Overseas" tuition fees. 

EU/EEA and Swiss national students starting studies in the 2021/22 academic year or later academic years may no longer be eligible to pay the “home” rate of tuition fees nor claim any financial support for their studies dependent on your personal circumstances (including immigration status and residence history in the UK). To help determine whether you would be eligible for home fees please see the UKCISA's 'Who pays 'home' fees for higher education in England?' guide found here.

If you are interested in applying for this PhD project, please follow the link below.  Please use your personal statement to demonstrate your background in biological or veterinary sciences/medicine and any previous skills and/or research experience.

How to Apply

For more information on the application process and English Language requirements see How to Apply.

Interviews will take place in person at our Camden campus on the morning of the 23rd of May.

We welcome informal enquiries - these should be directed to Dr Elisa Vasilopoulou: evasilopoulou@rvc.ac.uk 

Deadline: 28/04/2024