Dunhill Medical Trust/Crossley Barnes PhD studentships

The primary objective of the proposed studentships is to build capacity in ageing research within the UK.

We have shortlisted 10 studentships from our Institute and divided them into 3 categories that fit within the remit of the Dunhill Medical Trust PhD Studentship Fund: 1) Improving health and social care for older people 2) the treatment of age-related diseases (with a particular focus on ocular ageing) and 3) understanding the underpinning mechanisms of ageing.

Improving health and social care for older people: • “Intergenerational music therapy to reduce loneliness and improve quality of life for older people living in care homes”. Led by Dr Deirdre Lane.

Using a cluster randomised controlled trial to compare intergenerational interactive music therapy (singing or playing musical instruments with children co-ordinated by a music therapist) to receptive music therapy (listening to preferred music in a quiet place) for older adults living in care homes. • “Effects of inspiratory muscle training on metabolic and muscular function in older people hospitalised for acute illness”.

Led by Dr Ingeborg Welters.

Investigating the effects of Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) and standard physiotherapy treatment compared to standard physiotherapy alone on physical function and mobility.

Specifically, the project will examine potential molecular and biochemical mechanisms involved in blood and muscle samples from older patients (>65-years), who have been hospitalised for acute severe illness and from healthy individuals who will serve to discriminate acute from age-related sarcopenia. • “Malnutrition-sarcopenia syndrome (MSS): Can novel nutritional screening and assessment of physical function be used to predict mortality in older adults?”.

Led by Dr Masoud Isanejad.

Studying the risk factors associated with MSS using large cohort data in UK such as ELSA and UK Biobank and design and execute a pilot study to investigate the feasibility of dietary intervention to prevent/treat MSS.

Outcomes will include physical function (home and gait lab) and body composition in addition to cellular senescence and inflammatory biomarkers.

Ocular ageing and treatments of ocular age-related diseases: • “Characterisation of age-related changes in biomechanics of the posterior adult eye”. Led by Dr Victoria Kearns. Characterising age-dependent biomechanical properties of healthy human posterior eye tissues. A range of material characterisation techniques will be used to assess nano- and macro-scale mechanical properties.

Computational models will then be generated to investigate mechanical interactions between the retina and sclera during ageing. • “The immunomodulatory properties of limbal mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) – a novel cell source for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)”. Led by Dr Rachel Oldershaw.

Examining whether limbal MSC populations have immunomodulatory properties that supports their application as a cell source for the treatment of AMD. • “Age-related ocular surface basement membrane changes: implications for corneal homeostasis, wound repair and stem cell activity”. Led by Dr Kevin Hamill.

Focussing on the ocular surface epithelium this project will characterise age-associated changes in the core basement membrane proteins, modelling the changes in in vitro and ex vivo models.

Understanding the underpinning mechanisms of ageing: • “Neutrophil function in healthy ageing, inflammation and frailty”. Led by Dr Helen Wright.

Investigating neutrophil function in healthy young or old people, people with rheumatoid arthritis and frail older people.

Determining how neutrophil functions such as migration, phagocytosis, bacterial killing, NET production and gene expression change with age and in response to frailty and unresolved inflammation. • “Identifying age-related extracellular microenvironment in dental tissues”. Led by Dr Kazuhiro Yamamoto.

Investigating changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) components and turnover in dental tissues with ageing and its pathological impact on the progression of oral diseases. • Circadian rhythms in age-related stem cell dysfunction: time for chronotherapy in exercise interventions? Led by Dr Vanja Pekovic-Vaughan.

Determining whether skeletal muscle stem cells show altered circadian regulation of secreted proteins with age, whether clock-deficient muscle stem cells mimic age-related changes and whether muscle clock changes with age can be rescued using appropriately timed exercise stimuli. • “Targeting of antioxidants in age related joint pathology”.

Led by Dr Blandine Poulet.

Investigating the activity profile of NRF2 in joint ageing and post-traumatic osteoarthritis and whether NRF2 targeting is appropriate for osteoarthritis therapy. All ten projects will be advertised.

Supervisors will be asked for feedback on applicants who choose their projects, with final assessment made by an independent academic panel. The five best-rated students will be selected, and they will ultimately determine the five projects that are performed. Our only restrictions will be to ensure that at least one project from each of the three categories is selected.