https://www.herzog-lab.com/tags/competitive-phd-studentship/Competitive PhD StudentshipHugo Blox Builder (https://hugoblox.com)en-usWed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.herzog-lab.com/media/logo_hu_49072f86a0652331.pnghttps://www.herzog-lab.com/tags/competitive-phd-studentship/https://www.herzog-lab.com/position/2027-icase-studentship/Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.herzog-lab.com/position/2027-icase-studentship/<p>Our lab is advertising an iCASE PhD studentship within the Cambridge Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme for 2027 intake.</p> <p>Project reference: <strong>ICS27-SCI-CH1</strong></p> <p>Project title: </p> <p>Human cells are profoundly shaped by the environment in which they exist, yet most laboratory culture systems rely on animal-derived serum that exhibits strong batch effects and may poorly reflect conditions in the human body. Foetal environments are known to be uniquely permissive for cell growth and repair, which is also one reason wound healing is scarless before birth. This project investigates whether lab-grown human foetal plasma - manufactured at scale for the first time by our industrial partner - can recreate this regenerative, rejuvenating effect in cells from older donors, and whether it offers a more physiologically relevant alternative to current culture methods.</p> <p>Using cells from human volunteers spanning a range of ages, including skin-derived fibroblasts and various stem cell populations, we will compare how they respond to culture conditions, assess how conditions affect growth, function, and ageing features, in particular epigenetic marks, asking whether foetal plasma can shift the epigenetic age of cells towards a more youthful, regenerative profile.</p> <p><strong>Please find information about the application process .</strong> Application deadline: Dec 3.</p> <p><em>Please note this is a competitive funding opportunity for individual applicants.</em></p>