PhD studentship: How does the microbiome affect behaviour? Discovering neuroactive compounds made by bacteria

Closing Date

1 Dec 2019

Salary

Competition funded (UK/European students only).

Project Description 

The risk of psychiatric diseases and neurodegeneration is influenced by genetics and external environment. Increasingly, it is also thought to be influenced by the internal environment through gut microbes. Given the complexity of the microbiome—it is both diverse and dynamic—observational studies in humans can only provide preliminary evidence for the role of any particular phylum in a human disease. Causality, let alone mechanism, remains difficult to establish.

In this project, you will take advantage of technology that we have recently developed [1] to screen hundreds of bacterial strains for behavioural effects on the nematode worm C. elegans. Because worms can be raised in large numbers in the lab and they naturally eat bacteria, they provide a unique niche for finding and characterising so-called psychobiotics. You will have an exciting opportunity to discover new animal-microbe interactions, use mass spectrometry to discovery new neuroactive compounds, and use genetics to discover where and how they act in the nervous system.

Depending on student interests, the project can incorporate imaging, machine learning, and wet lab work to varying extents.

To Apply: Please visit our website (https://lms.mrc.ac.uk/study-here/phd-studentships/lms-3-5yr-studentships/) to download an application form.

Further Information

Project Description
The risk of psychiatric diseases and neurodegeneration is influenced by genetics and external environment. Increasingly, it is also thought to be influenced by the internal environment through gut microbes. Given the complexity of the microbiome—it is both diverse and dynamic—observational studies in humans can only provide preliminary evidence for the role of any particular phylum in a human disease. Causality, let alone mechanism, remains difficult to establish. In this project, you will take advantage of technology that we have recently developed [1] to screen hundreds of bacterial strains for behavioural effects on the nematode worm C. elegans. Because worms can be raised in large numbers in the lab and they naturally eat bacteria, they provide a unique niche for finding and characterising so-called psychobiotics. You will have an exciting opportunity to discover new animal-microbe interactions, use mass spectrometry to discovery new neuroactive compounds, and use genetics to discover where and how they act in the nervous system.

Depending on student interests, the project can incorporate imaging, machine learning, and wet lab work to varying extents.

To Apply: Please visit our website (https://lms.mrc.ac.uk/study-here/phd-studentships/lms-3-5yr-studentships/) to download an application form.

Contact Details

For further information about the application process or the LMS PhD Programme in general please contact our Postgraduate Coordinator at students@lms.mrc.ac.uk.