Information about supervisors and projects. More details about the projects, including background, approaches and training opportunities, will be available on FindaPhD in due course. Project information TitleProject descriptionSupervisorsCan Trypanosome infection influence early tumour developmentMore details on FindaPhDThis project investigates how Trypanosoma infection influences early tumour development by modulating host immune responses. Using a zebrafish preneoplastic model, it aims to determine whether infection promotes or suppresses tumour growth through immune-mediated mechanisms.Yi Feng, Maria Forlenza, and Ava KhamsehCircular RNAs Linking Viral Infection and Mechanotransduction in Kaposi SarcomaMore details on FindaPhDHow do circular RNAs (circRNAs) regulate Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) and biomechanical signalling that drives Kaposi sarcoma, and can targeting these pathways reveal new therapeutic strategies?Carstan Hansen, Takanobu Tagawa and Ailsa OswaldDecoding Lipid–Microbiome Crosstalk Controlling Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Exacerbated AsthmaMore details FindaPhDTo address how RSV exacerbates asthma, we will test an immunomodulatory lipid-driven gut–lung pathway in which RSV-induced eicosanoids reshape the gut microbiota, reprogramme myeloid cells, and skew lung T-cell responses, thereby amplifying chronic asthmatic inflammation and worsening disease severity.Chengcan Yao, Jurgen Schwarze and Laura GlendinningDefining the biology and chromatin architecture of Epstein–Barr virus infected B cells in early multiple sclerosisMore detials on FindaPhDEpstein–Barr virus (EBV) is implicated as a causal driver of multiple sclerosis (MS), yet the biology of EBV-infected B cells in MS remains poorly defined. This project will characterise the phenotype, viral activity, and nuclear organisation of EBV-infected B cells in MS and during B-cell reconstitution after depletion therapy.Nick Gilbert, David Hunt and Patrick KearnsHost-Microbiota Interactions in Obesity: An Interdisciplinary Approach to understand Obesity-Induced Insulin Resistance and Type 2 DiabetesMore details on FindaPhDThis project explores the connection between translocation of gut bacteria, the resulting anti-microbial IgG production, metabolic inflammation and insulin resistance in obesity. It seeks to establish the link between elevated IgG levels and the incidence of type 2 diabetes, while identifying microbiota species involved in these processes.Cecile Benezech, Dorien Kimenai and Laura GlendinningHost-pathogen interactions during urinary tract infection as drivers of chronic neurological diseaseMore details on FindaPhDThis project will investigate how urinary tract infection (UTI) and host–pathogen interactions affect the brain and how to prevent this, since this is a major problem of unmet clinical need. Concurrent with peripheral immune responses, neurovascular integrity and brain molecular pathways associated with neurological vulnerability will be studied, along with behaviour, further integrated with human rUTI cohorts and rescue experiments to identify translational host-response signatures linking peripheral infection to brain dysfunction relevant to many early and late-life clinical situations.Jing Qui, David Gally and Sohan SethHow much autoimmunity is caused by EBV infection?More details on FindaPhDThis project will determine whether distinct patterns of antibody responses to the EBV proteome are present across autoimmune diseases. Using high-resolution serological profiling, the study will identify which autoimmune conditions show evidence of EBV-driven pathology and explore how host genetics modifies these antiviral immune responses.David Hunt, Nick Gilbert and Patrick KearnsIdentifying the association between infection and MAS liver disease progression and prognosisMore details on FindaPhD(1) Are T lymphocytes of Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) patients less functional than those of healthy controls? (2) Is there a preferential expansion of T cell clonotype in chronic disease which leads to varied MASLD prognosis? (3) What are the underlying cause of the preferential T cell clonotype expansion?Wei-Yu Lu and Georgia Perona-WrightImpact of infection on brain connectivity and contributions to vascular dementiaMore details on FindaPhDHow infection modifies risk of vascular dementia is unclear. This interdisciplinary project will blend computational neuroimaging and cellular neuroimmunology approaches to investigate how infection influences changes to brain connectivity and cognitive function driven by chronic cerebrovascular disease. Immune-brain signalling mechanisms, including the role of microglia, will be examined and/or manipulated.Barry McColl and Tracy FarrMolecular dissection of Staphylococcus aureus in Atopic Dermatitis Using a Human Skin Organoid modelMore details on FindaPhDThis project investigates how skin-tropic Staphylococcus aureus lineages interact with atopic dermatitis skin using human skin organoid models. Comparative infections and dual RNA-seq will define strain-specific, host–pathogen transcriptional responses, and molecular mechanisms driving inflammation and barrier disruption, guiding new antimicrobial strategies.Ross Fitzgerald, Sara Brown and Ava KhamsehPrecision medicine biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) using multi-modal AI/MLMore details on FindaPhDCan we leverage precision medicine to identify diagnostic markers that correlate with ME/CFS symptom severity or disease activity? Are ME/CFS blood-based diagnostic biomarkers being missed because each person has their own set of haematological setpoints?Chris Ponting, Audrey Ryback and Sjoerd BeentjesRetinal Biomarkers, Respiratory Infections, and Vaccinations: Causal Links to Dementia Risk and Prevention StrategiesMore details on FindaPhDThis project seeks to establish causal relationships between respiratory infections, vaccinations, and dementia risk by analysing retinal biomarkers, aiming to identify modifiable factors for dementia prevention and informing public health strategies to reduce neurodegenerative disease incidence.Miguel Bernabeu, Ting Shi, Sotos Tsataris, and Michael CamilleriThe role of Herpes simplex virus infection in neuropathology of Sanfilippo diseaseMore details on FindaPhDThe aim of the project is to determine if HSV infection exacerbates neuropathological disease progression and hastens working memory defects in the mouse model of Sanfilippo disease, and whether IL1RA can mitigate this expected decline.Brian Bigger and Anna WilliamsUnderstanding pneumonia vulnerability in stroke recoveryMore details on FindaPhDThis project will aim to understand infection vulnerability during chronic stroke recovery. Specific questions are: (1) What changes to the lung immune environment impair clearance of bacterial infection in chronic stroke recovery? (2)What is the role of neutrophils in post-stroke infection vulnerability? (3) Can clarithromycin improve bacterial clearance after stroke via immunomodulation?Laura McCulloch and Craig SmithUnravelling the link between infection and non-communicable diseases to enable a paradigm shift in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseaseMore details on FindaPhDThis project aims to investigate whether exposure to specific infections across the life course contributes to the development of major chronic diseases, and whether vaccination or immune responses modify these risks. Using large-scale linked health records and cohort data (CPRD, SAIL, UK Biobank), it will systematically identify and evaluate infection-chronic disease relationships.Ting Shi and Cathie Sudlow How to apply This article was published on 2025-10-27
