Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

Analysis of mesenchymal stromal/stem cell sub-populations

Human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are found in adult tissues such as bone marrow and are able to differentiate into osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic tissues. There is intense interest in determining how MSCs may be used in future cell-based therapies, including gene therapy, immunotherapy and tissue engineering, and as in vitro models for fundamental research and drug discovery. However, little is known about MSC identity and research is often performed on heterogeneous mixtures of different MSC sub-populations. Using a process of telomerase-based immortalisation and cell cloning, we have generated several different MSC lines that represent different “types” of MSCs. For example, some MSC lines demonstrate tri-lineage, whereas other are bi-potent, uni-potent or nulli-potent. This project will examine the differentiation characteristics of these MSC lines to determine how they reflect MSC sub-populations in vivo. Self-funded.