Mapping organic and inorganic chemistry with ageing in bone tissue

The project provides high-level training in current biomolecular and elemental mapping techniques and the student will develop a range of transferable professional skills that will equip them for a career either in academic research or in the bioeconomy industries. The proposed research takes an inter-disciplinary approach by combining cutting-edge proteomics methods (Buckley) together with other imaging techniques that further study the protein component (immunohistochemistry; Hoyland) and elemental mapping of the inorganic component via synchrotron XRF (Manning), with the outcome of an improved understanding of bone ageing across a range of vertebrates, particularly contrasting mammalian bone growth with the distinct processes of fish.