Dx Revision Watch
Suzy Chapman Owner of Dx Revision Watch
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[With apologies if this has already been posted in another thread. Note that University College London (UCL) is not the same institution as King's College London (KCL). It is not established what criteria are to be used or from where patient samples are to be sourced. As an academic institution, UCL will be subject to FOIA and it may expedient for this information to be requested.]
http://www.findaphd.com/search/showproject.asp?projectid=18971
Dept/SchoolDivision of Infection & Immunity, University College London
Project Supervisor(s)Prof G Towers
Dr P Kellam
Funding AvailabilityCompetition Funded Project (European/UK Students Only)
Application Deadline 23 November 2009
A role for XMRV in human disease
Laboratory supervisor: Prof Greg Towers
Clinical supervisor: Prof Deenan Pillay
Xenotropic murine retrovirus (XMRV) has recently been associated with chronic fatigue syndrome as well as prostate carcinoma in humans (1-3). XMRV is a murine endogenous virus found in the genome of mice and until recently has been thought to be absent from the human population. It is now becoming clear that XMRV has transmitted to humans by a process of zoonosis, presumably from mice, and appears to be associated with a variety of diseases not previously associated with viral infection.
1. We will establish quantitative PCR assays and serology assays including enzyme linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA) to detect and quantify XMRV. Importantly, assays used to detect related murine leukaemia viruses in the lab are expected to be suitable.
2. We will use these assays to measure XMRV load in chronic fatigue patient samples as well as, well but XMRV infected control samples, with a view to establishing whether viral load relates to disease, episodes of illness and/or severity.
3. The receptor for XMRV has been identified. We will seek human polymorphism in the xenotropic receptor and assess which human cells express it. We will also establish which cells in vivo in blood express the receptor and which cells are infected with XMRV by quantitative PCR on sorted subsets of B and T cells from XMRV infected individuals.
This project proposes to address some of the most important questions surrounding the recently described XMRV infection of humans and to seek a therapeutic strategy for XMRV treatment. We expect it to be a competitive project and the experiments performed are likely to be influenced by ongoing studies published as we go. We expect that the candidate will be fully trained in modern techniques of molecular virology during the course of this project.
TO APPLY Send THREE COPIES of your CV (including full contact details of two academic referees) a personal statement and an indication of your top two preferences, on a separate page, from the list of projects below to:
Isabel Lubeiro, Division of Infection & Immunity, Windeyer Building, 46 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JF.
CLOSING DATE: 23 NOVEMBER 2009
http://www.findaphd.com/search/showproject.asp?projectid=18971
Dept/SchoolDivision of Infection & Immunity, University College London
Project Supervisor(s)Prof G Towers
Dr P Kellam
Funding AvailabilityCompetition Funded Project (European/UK Students Only)
Application Deadline 23 November 2009
A role for XMRV in human disease
Laboratory supervisor: Prof Greg Towers
Clinical supervisor: Prof Deenan Pillay
Xenotropic murine retrovirus (XMRV) has recently been associated with chronic fatigue syndrome as well as prostate carcinoma in humans (1-3). XMRV is a murine endogenous virus found in the genome of mice and until recently has been thought to be absent from the human population. It is now becoming clear that XMRV has transmitted to humans by a process of zoonosis, presumably from mice, and appears to be associated with a variety of diseases not previously associated with viral infection.
1. We will establish quantitative PCR assays and serology assays including enzyme linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA) to detect and quantify XMRV. Importantly, assays used to detect related murine leukaemia viruses in the lab are expected to be suitable.
2. We will use these assays to measure XMRV load in chronic fatigue patient samples as well as, well but XMRV infected control samples, with a view to establishing whether viral load relates to disease, episodes of illness and/or severity.
3. The receptor for XMRV has been identified. We will seek human polymorphism in the xenotropic receptor and assess which human cells express it. We will also establish which cells in vivo in blood express the receptor and which cells are infected with XMRV by quantitative PCR on sorted subsets of B and T cells from XMRV infected individuals.
This project proposes to address some of the most important questions surrounding the recently described XMRV infection of humans and to seek a therapeutic strategy for XMRV treatment. We expect it to be a competitive project and the experiments performed are likely to be influenced by ongoing studies published as we go. We expect that the candidate will be fully trained in modern techniques of molecular virology during the course of this project.
TO APPLY Send THREE COPIES of your CV (including full contact details of two academic referees) a personal statement and an indication of your top two preferences, on a separate page, from the list of projects below to:
Isabel Lubeiro, Division of Infection & Immunity, Windeyer Building, 46 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JF.
CLOSING DATE: 23 NOVEMBER 2009
