The aging process is characterised by tissue decline and the onset of age-associated diseases. It is not, however, immutable, and can be modulated by manipulating the cell signalling pathways perturbed as cells and organisms age. A key characteristic of aging is the progressive accumulation of damaged/unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) leading to activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR is the collective name for a number of cell signalling pathways that act in concert to restore normal cellular function by halting protein synthesis, clearing misfolded proteins and increasing the production of molecular chaperones. PERK, an ER-resident protein kinase, is critical to the UPR and acts to stall global protein synthesis. However inappropriate PERK activity is associated with the pathology of several age-related disorders including degenerative neurological diseases and cancer. Despite this key role for PERK very few direct substrates have been identified. 

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Studentships are funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) for 4 years. Funding will cover tuition fees at the UK rate only, a Research Training and Support Grant (RTSG) and stipend. We aim to support the most outstanding applicants from outside the UK and are able to offer a limited number of bursaries that will enable full studentships to be awarded to international applicants. These full studentships will only be awarded to exceptional quality candidates, due to the competitive nature of this scheme.

Open to students worldwide

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