Research Assistant/Associate - in Musculoskeletal Research

Company description:

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Job description:

Research Assistant: £31,396 - £32,982  per annum

Research Associate: £33,966 - £44,263 per annum

The Role

We are looking for a knowledgeable researcher with a background in musculoskeletal research. You will drive an independent research project to characterise the role of collagen glycosylating enzymes in chondrocyte and cartilage health. This variant-to-function project will illuminate novel disease mechanisms.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease affecting the joints. Characterised by the breakdown of articular cartilage, this debilitating disease affects ~10 million older adults in the UK. There are currently no disease-modifying pharmacological interventions for OA, yet genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified >100 genetic loci that harbour OA risk genes.

One such locus maps to the gene COLGALT2 on chromosome 1. COLGALT2 encodes an enzyme essential for the glycosylation of collagens, which comprise 80% of the dry weight of the cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM). Multiple independent OA risk alleles have been identified which increase the expression of this gene in cartilage. We hypothesise that this results in the overglycosylation of ECM collagens, reducing their stability and structural integrity.

This project will use both primary and immortalised chondrocytes to determine the impact of knockout and overexpression of COLGALT2 on the chondrocyte phenotype through a combination of histology and proteomics analyses in both primary and immortalised cell lines. Furthermore, you will work to continue our previous investigations on the epigenetic regulation of this gene in specific tissues of the joint through targeted DNA methylation analyses in primary human tissues.

This is a full time, fixed term post for a period of 12 months.

For informal enquiries contact: Dr Sarah Rice (sarah.rice@ncl.ac.uk)

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/ 

Find out more about our Research Institutes here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/ 

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