PULSE-CF: Polymicrobial communities in the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) airways-role in infection and pulmonary exacerbations.

The PULSE-CF Innovation Hub is one of four translational hubs being supported by the CF Trust and LifeArc over the next 5 years. The Hub is a multi-centre, multi-disciplinary collaborative initiative involving researchers at the University of Manchester, University of Liverpool and Queen’s University Belfast. The Hub is focussed on understanding the causes of exacerbations of CF and identifying ways to prevent these. Pulmonary exacerbations are a prominent feature of CF, though there is no clear understanding of the mechanisms involved in triggering them. This significantly restricts our ability to predict and prevent one of the most significant and burdensome aspects of CF.  

Ongoing studies by our group have shown that in people with CF, the lungs are colonized by highly diverse polymicrobial bacterial communities with bacteria commonly classified as commensals present in addition to bacteria routinely considered as primary pathogens.  However, the precise role these bacteria play in the development of lung infection and pulmonary exacerbations has not been clearly defined. This project will study the effects of different bacterial communities on infection by determining the interaction between known pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and commensal bacteria cultured from airway samples. 

*Research centre / School 

Pharmacy, Biological Sciences 

Subject area 

Respiratory Medicine, Microbiology, Microbiome, Infection, Molecular Biology, Molecular Diagnostics 

Candidate requirements / Key skills required for the post  

Applicants should have a 1st or 2.1 honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. Relevant subjects include Pharmacy, Molecular Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biochemistry, Biological/Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering, or a closely related discipline. Students who have a 2.2 honours degree and a Master’s degree may also be considered, but the School reserves the right to shortlist for interview only those applicants who have demonstrated high academic attainment to date. 

How to apply / contacts 

Postgraduate Research applicants must have applied to Queen’s, via the Direct Applications Portal.  

https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/user/u_login.php   

Any interested applicants can informally contact Professor Tunney by email at [email protected] 

Relevant links / more information  

http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofPharmacy/Research/PostgraduatePositions/ 

https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofPharmacy/Research/find-a-phd-supervisor/professor-michael-tunney.html 

https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofPharmacy/Research/find-a-phd-supervisor/dr-deirdre-gilpin.html  

https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofBiologicalSciences/Connect/AcademicStaff/DrSimonCameron/ 

Keywords for search filters 

Infection, molecular microbiology, microbiome, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, respiratory medicine 

Training provided through the research project 

The study will provide extensive training in conventional aerobic and anaerobic microbiology, molecular techniques (RT-PCR and Illumina sequencing), tissue culture, clinical studies, molecular diagnostics and mass spectrometry within the setting of a world leading research lab, as part of inter-disciplinary and internationally renowned research teams. 

Expected impact activities 

Identifying how interactions between bacteria in the airways potentially trigger pulmonary exacerbations will provide an evidence base for testing new therapeutics to reduce the impact or frequency of exacerbations, which will improve quality-of-life for pwCF. 

The PhD student will be encouraged to engage in a variety of impact activities, disseminate the research project findings through public talks, and participate in QUB showcase events. Examples of impact activities include: blogs or web articles, magazine articles, public lectures, school visits, oral & poster presentations (at local, national and international conferences), and publication of scientific papers in peer reviewed journals.