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Placement: Biomarkers of CNS diseases
Supervisor: Dr Patrick McHugh
Suitability: Undergraduates undertaking biomedical, biochemistry or molecular biological related degrees.
Duration: Approx. 10-12 months (Starting September 2025)
Hours: Full-Time (Unpaid)
Placement Description:
We are seeking a self-motivated candidate who is seeking placement/affiliate work experience in an academic biomedical research lab that resides within the Centre for Biomarker Research (CeBioR) under the supervision of Dr McHugh. The candidate will have strengths/interest in biomedical work and will assist in aspects of the research programme relating to biomarker development (disease mechanisms/drug target development), which will include several molecular biological techniques. The candidate will gain invaluable hands-on experience of the workings of a research lab.
Other aspects of the role include:
- Day to day lab maintenance
- Good organizational skills and lab practices
- Follow health and safety protocols
- Maintain strict laboratory records and databases
- Able to handle multiple projects at once and develop independence
Contact/application:
To apply please email Dr McHugh (p.c.mchugh@hud.ac.uk) with a CV and covering letter.
Applications close 31st May 2025
One of the major challenges facing society today is that as we age the incidence of disease increases. These diseases include neurodegenerative & neurological disorders, psychiatric disorders, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic pain. The UN ageing program and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have projected that the number of older people (65+) in the world are expected to increase from 420 million in 2000 to nearly 1 billion by 2030, with the proportion of older people being increased from 7% to 12%.
A significant proportion of the ageing population will develop one of the aforementioned afflictions, for example research indicates that approximately 4% of the global population suffers from chronic pain, with incidence rate increasing complementary to age, and that the number of people affected with chronic pain is more than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined (World Health Organisation, 2011-13).
The CeBioR looks to address some of these issues by exploring the underlying aetiology of the aforementioned diseases with a particular focus on chronic conditions relating to neuroinflammation including Pain, Multiple Sclerosis and Dementia, as well as explore the ageing process itself. By understanding these diseases we can develop tools to not only improve diagnosis, but also develop new therapeutics to improve disease treatment. We anticipate that the centre’s research will improve the quality of life of many people suffering with these highly debilitating diseases, providing a smooth and rapid translation from proof of concept to a tangible availability in the clinic.