Supervisors:  Dr Debbie Guest, Dr Esther Palomino Lago

Department: Clinical Science and Services 

Project Detail:

Bone fractures are the most common musculoskeletal injury in racing Thoroughbreds and the leading cause of euthanasia on the racecourse. Fractures have many environmental risk factors, but there is also a genetic risk (Blott et al. 2014).

Recently we have identified novel DNA variants that are significantly associated with fracture risk but many of the genes associated with these variants have no reported roles in bone.

In this project we will use a recently developed equine osteoblast cell line (Palomino Lago et al. 2026) and use gene modulation (Ross et al. 2026) to determine the roles of a subset of the fracture-associated genes in bone formation.

This project will provide an exciting opportunity to learn a wide range of molecular biology techniques and contribute to our broader research to improve the health and welfare of Thoroughbred racehorses.  

References:

1. Blott S.C., Swinburne J.E., Sibbons C., Fox-Clipsham L.Y., Helwegen M., Hillyer L., Parkin T.D., Newton J.R. & Vaudin M. (2014) A genome-wide association study demonstrates significant genetic variation for fracture risk in Thoroughbred racehorses. BMC Genomics 15, 147.
2. Palomino Lago E., Roberts S.J., Orriss I.R., Lumsden E.S. & Guest D.J. (2026) Generation and characterization of an immortalized equine osteoblast cell line. The Veterinary Journal 316, 106573.
3. Ross A.C., Feddersen L., Dudhia J., Psifidi A. & Guest D.J. (2026) Modulating Galectin-1 in human osteoblast-like cells alters mineralisation and influences the expression of genes associated with osteoblasts and osteocytes. Biosci Rep 46.  

Requirements

Essential

• Must meet our standard MRes entry requirements
• A degree in biological sciences or related subject

Desirable

• Previous laboratory experience including cell culture and/or molecular biology would be beneficial but is not essential.

This can be taken full-time or part-time (12months FTE) project commencing in October 2026, based at RVC's Hawkshead campus.  

Funding 

Partially funded: The MRes student will be expected to meet their course fees and living expenses. All other project costs will be met by the supervisor.   Please note that EU/EEA and Swiss national students may no longer be eligible for the “Home” rate of tuition fees, dependent on personal circumstances (including immigration status and residence history in the UK) and UK government rules which are currently being developed. For up-to-date information on fees for EU/EEA and Swiss national students following Brexit please see our fees and funding page.

How to apply:

Deadline: 8th May 2026

For more information on the application process and English Language requirements see How to Apply.Interviews will take place remotely (Teams, Zoom etc) within 4 weeks of the closing date.We welcome informal enquiries - these should be directed to djguest@rvc.ac.uk