The UK's official graduate careers website

Not signed up?

Forgotten password? »
 
 
Your search results:
  1. Neuroscience and behaviour
  2. Biodiversity and Conservation

Tissue Engineering and in Vitro Modelling

Course details

University Name
The Open University
Department
Department of Life Sciences
Course Title
Tissue Engineering and in Vitro Modelling
Qualification, duration, mode
PhD 36FT 72PT variableDL*MPhil 15FT 24PT variableDL
Months of entry
October
Entry requirements
PhD: The normal minimum entrance requirement is an upper second class honours degree or master's degree, relevant to the proposed area of study, from a recognised higher education institution in the UK. You should also have experience of academic research in the previous four years, normally in the form of either a master's degree in research methods, an undergraduate degree with a research element in the final year, or work-related experience with evidence through research reports. If you're not sure if you meet the entry requirements, please contact us (research-degrees-team@open.ac.uk).
MPhil: see http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/ for more information.
Funding
Please see The Open University website http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/ for more information.
Course description
The OU has a strong reputation in the development and use of advanced 3D cell culture model systems for neuroscience and immunology research. Using tissue engineering technology, these models have facilitated research that would not have been possible previously, in particular, when studying damage and repair. Cells in traditional cultures often fail to adopt phenotypes and responses characteristic of their behaviour in vivo, whilst in animal models the dynamic environment and complex interactions between cells often make it difficult to isolate a specific feature under investigation or to monitor cellular events continuously.

Research in this area at the OU has yielded a range of 3D co-culture systems for neuroscience research, in particular for modelling the peripheral nerve repair environment, the response of astrocytes to CNS damage, myelination in the CNS and the PNS and neuronal guidance. A three-dimensional co-culture system in which adipocytes and lymph node cells can be grown together in a way that mimics the internal environment has also been developed for studying molecular aspects of the immune response. Culture models, using immortalised human cell lines, have been developed to mimic the blood-brain barrier and are being used to study pathogenic mechanisms involved in Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.

Potential research projects

- Three-dimensional cultures of adipocytes.
- Elucidating the molecular mechanisms contributing to blood brain barrier breakdown in multiple sclerosis.
- Developing tissue engineered implantable devices for surgical repair of the nervous system.
- Using cell culture to understand the regulation of myelination in the developing nervous system.
- Modelling the enteric nervous system.
- Integration of stem cells in 3D culture.
Contact name
Astrid Peterkin
Telephone
+44 (0)1908 659845
Email
science-phd-enquiries@open.ac.uk
Web
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/

Login to add this course to your favourites

 

Choose from

The Open University

Funding your study

Funding opportunities

 
 

This website is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets if you are able to do so.