Supervisors: Dr Caroline Pellet-Many

Department: Comparative Biomedical Sciences 

Project Details:

What happens when the heart tries to repair itself after a heart attack? Following myocardial infarction (MI), all three layers of the heart become activated to support tissue repair. The epicardium (the outermost layer of the heart) plays a particularly important role by rapidly proliferating and undergoing epicardial-to-mesenchymal transition (EpiMT), generating cells that help drive the repair process.

In our previous work, we discovered that a family of proteins called neuropilins (NRPs) are strongly and specifically upregulated after MI in both mouse and zebrafish models. Interestingly, NRP2 is already known to regulate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer cells, where it promotes the loss of epithelial characteristics and the acquisition of migratory, mesenchymal traits. Despite this, the role of neuropilins in cardiac repair and regeneration remains largely unknown.

This exciting project will explore how neuropilins regulate epicardial activation after cardiac injury, using a combination of cell culture experiments and analyses of regenerating zebrafish hearts. By uncovering the molecular mechanisms that drive heart repair, this work aims to contribute to the long-term goal of developing strategies to improve cardiac regeneration. 

References:

1. Lowe V, Wisniewski L, Sayers J, Evans I, Frankel P, Mercader-Huber N, Zachary IC, Pellet-Many C. Neuropilin 1 mediates epicardial activation and revascularization in the regenerating zebrafish heart. Development. 2019 Jul 2;146(13):dev174482.
2. Harman JL, Sayers J, Chapman C, Pellet-Many C. Emerging Roles for Neuropilin-2 in Cardiovascular Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Jul 21;21(14):5154.
3. Meier AB, Zawada D, De Angelis MT, Martens LD, Santamaria G, Zengerle S, Nowak-Imialek M, Kornherr J, Zhang F, Tian Q, Wolf CM, Kupatt C, Sahara M, Lipp P, Theis FJ, Gagneur J, Goedel A, Laugwitz KL, Dorn T, Moretti A. Epicardioid single-cell genomics uncovers principles of human epicardium biology in heart development and disease. Nat Biotechnol. 2023 Dec;41(12):1787-1800.

Requirements

Essential

• Must meet our standard MRes entry requirements
• Prospective students do not need a veterinarian background.
• Applicants should be highly motivated, enthusiastic, and resilient, with a willingness to troubleshoot and refine experimental approaches to achieve excellent results.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to accurately collect, analyse, and report experimental results, are essential.

Desirable 

• Experience in cell culture, molecular biology techniques (e.g., qPCR, Western blotting), and immunofluorescence is highly desirable.

This can be taken full-time, project commencing in October 2026, based at RVC's Camden campus.

Although the project will heavily use in-vitro techniques, animal samples (zebrafish cardiac sections) previously collected in another project will be require analysis.

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 cpelletmany@rvc.ac.uk