the student will identify the most effective antisense oligonucleotides (AON) to induce splice switching and test the potential of these AONs to rescue the patient associated cilia phenotype. This project is based on the success of our previous work on AON splice switching and pharmacological therapies for CEP290 retinal disease (1-4) and aims to extend this potential to additional patients with different variants. It offers an exciting opportunity to gain expertise in iPSC culture, retinal organoid and RPE differentiation, cilia biology, antisense oligonucleotide development, and translational gene therapy.
The studentship is based at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, consistently ranked among the world's leading centres for vision research, in partnership with Moorfields Eye Hospital, the largest co-located site for eye research, education and clinical care worldwide. This project is also part of a collaboration with Professor John Sayer, Newcastle University.
References:
- Parfitt et al Cell Stem Cell. 2016 Jun 2;18(6):769-781.
- Dulla et al Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2018 Sep 7;12:730-740.
- Russell et al Nat Med. 2022 May;28(5):1014-1021.
- Corral-Serrano JC et al Cells. 2023 Jun 7;12(12):1575
Duties and Responsibilities
The successful candidate will be expected to:
- Produce, maintain and differentiate patient-derived iPSC to retinal cell types.
- Use immunocytochemistry (ICC) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to investigate cilia.
- To screen potential antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) for splice switching efficiency.
- Produce reports for the funder.
Person Specification
Essential
Applicants should have:
- A BSc in an appropriate area.
- Experience of tissue culture.
- An interest in AONs as potential therapeutics.
- A knowledge of cilia biology.
- A good understanding of retinal biology.
- Ability to work independently and also as part of a team.
Desirable
The following would be advantageous:
- A good MSc in a related area (cell biology, neuroscience, retinal cell biology).
- Experience of ICC or IHC and imaging with a confocal microscope.
- Experience of RT-PCR
- Experience of AON design.
- Experience of stem cell culture and characterisation.
Commencement
The successful candidate is expected to start on the 1st of October 2026, however some flexibility with respect to the start date may be possible and can be discussed further at interview.
Funding Notes
Eligibility
The full studentship (tuition fees and salary stipend) is eligible for candidates classified as UK students (please see ‘Tuition fee classification’ on this page: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/tuition-fees).
Enquiries
Enquiries relating to the application process should be sent to the Research Degrees Manager at ioo.pgr@ucl.ac.uk.
Informal enquiries regarding the studentship opportunity can be made to: Dr Julio Corral-Serrano j.serrano@ucl.ac.uk
How to apply
Please prepare a single PDF document in the following order:
- A covering letter outlining motivation, interest, and suitability for this project;
- CV / resume
- Contact details for two academic referees
Attach to an email with the reference * in the subject line and send to the Research Degrees Manager at ioo.pgr@ucl.ac.uk by the deadline stated below. Any details specified in the body of email messages will not form part of the application. We ask that applicants follow these instructions carefully since deviation from them may invalidate your application.
Application deadline: 23:59 British Summer Time (BST) August 31, 2026.
Proposed interview date: We foresee shortlisting quickly upon close of applications and shall contact the shortlisted candidates directly with interview times.
