A PhD studentship in macromolecular transport at the blood-brain-barrier

The aim of the project is to define molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of macromolecule transport at the blood-brain-barrier, one of most important metabolic barriers in the human body. It therefore tightly controls endocytosis and transcytosis of specific cargos by the expression of specialised transporters and receptors. Whilst several transcytosis pathways and receptors have been identified at the blood-brain-barrier, there are still unknowns about what governs and controls these pathways regarding entry, intracellular travel and eventually exit of macromolecules. To address these questions unique nanoprobes will be developed within the project, engineered to be highly specific for particular pathways, and applied to different in vitro blood-brain-barrier models including novel organotypic 3D and stem cell derived systems. This is a unique opportunity to participate in truly interdisciplinary research covers molecular engineering, physical biology, synthetic biology, and nanomedicine.