open the door for rejuvenating organisms?
Our group is developing and applying computational and experimental methods to help decipher ageing, longevity, and rejuvenation. In this project, we are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious student to develop and apply state-of-the-art machine learning methods and computational models at the interface of biology, mathematics, and computer science. Although cellular rejuvenation is an exciting topic, its mechanisms and pathways remain poorly understood. Moreover, the biological mechanisms behind biological clocks, like epigenetic clocks, remain unknown. We are integrating multiple types of data and developing gene networks to deepen our knowledge of cellular rejuvenation and identify new candidate genes for experimental validation. The exact direction of this project, however, will be adapted to fit the research interests of the student.
Though this project is primarily computational, our lab also has wet lab facilities and thus it is possible to experimentally validate computational predictions emerging from this project.
Further details about our work on ageing and rejuvenation are available at: https://rejuvenomicslab.com/
Training associated with this project
This is a highly multidisciplinary project at the interface of life and computer sciences. As such, the project will provide a rich and diverse training in several contemporary bioinformatics techniques, AI/machine learning, cell & molecular biology, genetics and biogerontology.
Funding notes
This is a PhD studentship with the Midlands Integrated Biosciences Training Partnership, funded by BBSRC and in partnership with the University of Warwick, University of Birmingham, Aston University, Harper Adams University, Coventry University, and the University of Leicester.
For more details please visit: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/mibtp/ or https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/about/college-of-life-and-environmental-sciences/midlands-integrative-biosciences-training-partnership
References
de Magalhães JP (2024) “Distinguishing between driver and passenger mechanisms of aging.” Nature Genetics 56:204-211.
de Magalhães JP, Ocampo A (2022) “Cellular reprogramming and the rise of rejuvenation biotech.” Trends in Biotechnology 40:639-642.
Avelar RA et al. (2020) "A multidimensional systems biology analysis of cellular senescence in ageing and disease." Genome Biology 21:91.
Ocampo, A. et al. (2016) “In Vivo Amelioration of Age-Associated Hallmarks by Partial Reprogramming.” Cell 167:1719-1733.
TEDx talk by Prof de Magalhaes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrLgYhtoBXA
Our lab website: https://rejuvenomicslab.com/
