Neuronal Clues to Astrocytes: Uncovering Hidden Mechanisms in the Developing Brain. MRC GW4 BioMed DTP PhD studentship for 2026/27 Entry, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Science Ref: 5636

Supervisors

Lead Supervisor :

Dr Asami Oguro-Ando - University of Exeter - Department of Clinical and Biomedical Science 

Co-Supervisors:

Dr Valentina Mosienko - University of Bristol - School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience 

Professor Anthony Isles - Cardiff University - Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences 

The GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP is offering up to 17 funded studentships across a range of biomedical disciplines, with a start date of October 2026.

These four-year studentships provide funding for fees and stipend at the rate set by the UK Research Councils, as well as other research training and support costs, and are available to UK and International students.

About the GW4 BioMed2 Doctoral Training Partnership

The partnership brings together the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff (lead) and Exeter to develop the next generation of biomedical researchers. Students will have access to the combined research strengths, training expertise and resources of the four research-intensive universities, with opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary and 'team science'. The DTP already has over 90 studentships over 6 cohorts in its first phase, along with 80 students over 4 cohorts in its second phase.

The 122 projects available for application, are aligned to the following themes;

• Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair

• Neuroscience and Mental Health

• Population Health Sciences

Applications open on 1 September 2025 and close at 5.00pm on 20th October 2025.

Please note that we may close the application process before the stated deadline if an unprecedented number of applications are received– check our website for details.

Studentships will be 4 years full time. Part time study may also be available.

Project Information

Research Theme:  Neuroscience & Mental Health

Summary:

How do neuronal signals drive astrocyte-mediated changes in brain development? This project will investigate the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms by which neuronal JAKMIP1 influences astrocytes, a key type of brain glial cell, and how this neuron-astrocyte communication is disrupted in autism and related developmental conditions. With training in RNA sequencing, microscopy, and brain cell analysis, you will uncover how interactions between brain cells shape development and behaviour. This is a unique opportunity to work at the interface of molecular neuroscience, cell biology, and neurodevelopment. 

Description:

“How do neuron-derived signals fine-tune astrocyte function that shapes brain development?” 

Neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly recognised as involving not just neurons, but also glial cells that support and shape brain development. Among these, astrocytes play key roles in maintaining synaptic function and circuit stability. Intriguingly, astrocytes often show abnormal morphology and signalling in ASD models – even when they are not directly affected by the underlying genetic mutation. This suggests that disrupted neuron-to- glia communication may contribute to the broader pathology of developmental disorders. 

This project focuses on JAKMIP1 (Janus kinase and microtubule- interacting protein 1), a scaffold protein highly enriched in neurons. JAKMIP1 regulates local mRNA translation and microtubule-based transport. Mice lacking JAKMIP1 display autism-relevant behaviours such as impaired social interaction, vocalisation deficits, and increased repetitive behaviours. Although JAKMIP1 is mainly expressed in neurons, recent findings show that astrocytes in JAKMIP1 knockout (KO) mice— despite expressing little or no JAKMIP1 themselves—exhibit reduced branching and altered STAT3 signalling. This provides strong evidence for non-cell-autonomous mechanisms, in which mutations in one cell type (neurons) indirectly affect the function of another (astrocytes). 

Key research question: 

How does neuronal JAKMIP1 regulate astrocyte morphology and signalling during brain development, and what secreted factors mediate this non-cell-autonomous influence? 

Objectives 

The student will pursue the following objectives, each designed to build skills in molecular neuroscience, cell biology, and neurodevelopmental disease research. 

1. Modelling neuron-to-glia signalling in vitro 

• The student will prepare neuron-conditioned media from WT and JAKMIP1 KO mice and use them to stimulate primary mouse astrocyte cultures.
• Morphological changes in astrocytes will be quantified using immunocytochemistry and Sholl analysis.
• Phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) will be assessed to monitor pathway activation in response to neuronal signals. 

2. Identifying the molecular signals 

• Using existing RNA-seq and proteomic datasets from JAKMIP1- deficient SH-SY5Y cells, the student will shortlist candidate secreted molecules (e.g. BDNF, IL-6, LCN2).
• Recombinant versions of these factors will be tested individually and in combination on astrocyte cultures to determine their impact on morphology and STAT3 activation.
• Inhibitor-based experiments will further clarify whether specific pathways are necessary or sufficient to mediate the effects. 

3. Validating cell-type-specific expression and extending in vivo relevance 

• To investigate the cellular origin of candidate signals, the student will perform qPCR analysis on already-isolated neuronal and astrocyte RNA samples from WT and JAKMIP1 KO mouse brains (separated via MACS).
• This will help determine whether dysregulated expression of key secreted factors (e.g. Bdnf, Il6, Lcn2) originates in neurons or astrocytes.
• In the final phase, astrocytic phenotypes observed in the JAKMIP1 model will be compared to those from other neurodevelopmental disorder models (e.g. Sp4Y163X, Setd1a deletion), using available histological and gene expression datasets provided by MURIDAE Research Cluster. 

Student training and project ownership: 

This project offers comprehensive training across multiple disciplines: 

• Molecular biology: RNA isolation, qPCR, protein expression analysis
• Cell biology: primary astrocyte culture, microscopy, morphology quantification
• Bioinformatics: RNA-seq/proteomic data interpretation using R or Python
• Experimental design: hypothesis testing using recombinant factors and inhibitors
• Systems neuroscience: cross-model comparison of astrocyte phenotypes 

The student will be encouraged to take increasing ownership of the project, especially in the design and refinement of experiments based on initial findings. For example, they may choose to explore astrocyte responses in human iPSC-derived models or further investigate the role of specific signalling pathways in greater depth. 

They will benefit from close supervision by experts in glial biology and psychiatric genetics, and access unique resources including JAKMIP1 KO brain tissues, in-house omics data, and cross-institutional collaboration between the University of Exeter, Bristol and Cardiff University. 

Broader significance: 

This project addresses an emerging frontier in developmental neuroscience: how intercellular signalling—not just cell-autonomous gene function—shapes brain development. By uncovering how neuron-derived factors alter astrocyte function in JAKMIP1 deficiency, the student will contribute to a deeper understanding of neuron–glia interactions in health and disease. These insights may help identify novel therapeutic targets aimed at restoring glial function in autism and related conditions. 

Funding

This studentship is funded through GW4BioMed2 MRC Doctoral Training Partnership. It consists of UK tuition fees, as well as a Doctoral Stipend matching UK Research Council National Minimum (£20,780 p.a. for 2025/26, updated each year).

Additional research training and support funding of up to £5,000 per annum is also available.

Eligibility

Residency:

The GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP studentships are available to UK and International applicants. Following Brexit, the UKRI now classifies EU students as international unless they have rights under the EU Settlement Scheme. The GW4 partners have agreed to cover the difference in costs between home and international tuition fees. This means that international candidates will not be expected to cover this cost and will be fully funded but need to be aware that they will be required to cover the cost of their student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.  All studentships will be competitively awarded and there is a limit to the number of International students that we can accept into our programme (up to 30% cap across our partners per annum).

Academic criteria:

Applicants for a studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a first or upper second-class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of medical sciences, computing, mathematics or the physical sciences.  Applicants with a lower second class will only be considered if they also have a Master’s degree. Please check the entry requirements of the home institution for each project of interest before completing an application. Academic qualifications are considered alongside significant relevant non-academic experience.

English requirements:

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements for the University of Exeter by the start of the programme. Please refer to the details in the following web page for further information https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/englishlanguagerequirements/

Please check the relevant English Language requirements of the university that will host the PhD project.  

Data Protection

If you are applying for a place on a collaborative programme of doctoral training provided by Cardiff University and other universities, research organisations and/or partners please be aware that your personal data will be used and disclosed for the purposes set out below.

Your personal data will always be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations of 2018. Cardiff University (“University”) will remain a data controller for the personal data it holds, and other universities, research organisations and/or partners (“HEIs”) may also become data controllers for the relevant personal data they receive as a result of their participation in the collaborative programme of doctoral training (“Programme”).

Further Information

For an overview of the MRC GW4 BioMed programme please see the website www.gw4biomed.ac.uk

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

Applicants for a studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a first or upper second-class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of medical sciences, computing, mathematics or the physical sciences. Applicants with a lower second class will only be considered if they also have a Master’s degree. Please check the entry requirements of the home institution for each project of interest before completing an application. Academic qualifications are considered alongside significant relevant non-academic experience.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements for the University of Exeter by the start of the programme. Please refer to the relevant university website for further information.  This will be at least 6.5 in IELTS or an acceptable equivalent.  Please refer to the English Language requirements web page for further information.

Please check the relevant English Language requirements of the university that will host the PhD project. 

How to apply

A list of all the projects and how to apply is available on the DTP’s website at gw4biomed.ac.uk.  You may apply for up to 2 projects and submit one application per candidate only.

Please complete an application to the GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP for an ‘offer of funding’.  If successful, you will also need to make an application for an 'offer to study' to your chosen institution.

Please complete the online application form linked from our website by 5.00pm on Monday, 20th October 2025.  Please note that we may close the application process before the stated deadline if an unprecedented number of applications are received– check the DTP’s website for details and updates

If you are shortlisted for interview, you will be notified from Tuesday, 23rd December 2025.  Interviews will be held virtually on 27th and 28th January 2026.  

Further Information

For informal enquiries, please contact GW4BioMed@cardiff.ac.uk

For project related queries, please contact the respective supervisors listed on the project descriptions on our website.

Summary