Visual Neuroscience and Molecular Biology (PhD/MPhil)
Suitable for:
Graduates in cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience, biology, biochemistry, optometry or any relevant scientific discipline.
Programme Aims:
To offer knowledge and expertise for post doctoral/lectureship positions in cell biology, molecular biology, neuroscience, molecular genetics, and vision science. Also for research positions in industry and the Health Service, scientific informatics and science writing.
Programme Description:
Research Areas:
- Wound healing
- Understanding and preventing corneal dystrophies
- Improving corneal storage for transplantation
- Gene transfer
- Molecular genetics of myopia
- Role of central brain pathways in accommodative dysfunction and myopia
- Ageing and cell dysfunction
- Role of growth factors in neovascularisation
- Oxidative damage and cell dysfunction
- Stem cell biology
- Light damage
- Neural plasticity
- Mechanisms and prevention of neural cell death
Special features of this research group:
- International centre of excellence.
- Has made a number of novel discoveries:
- That lipofuscin is a photoinducible free radical generator that causes cell dysfunction;
- That placenta growth factor is present in the eye and that its expression shows a positive correlation with the pathobiology of diabetic retinopathy;
- That matrix metalloprotinases are unregulated in the development of myopia in mammals and identification of a new member of the MMP family;
- That damage to the centrifugal visual system alters eye development and its refractive state, suggesting that the brain influences emmetropisation.
- Developed innovative models for studying wound healing, corneal transplantation, neural tracing, ocular development and oxidative damage to the retina.
- Supported by grants from the MRC, BBSRC, Royal Society, Wellcome Trust, Medical Charities, Health Service and the private sector.
Year of Entry: 2010
See this course on the University's Coursefinder website.