Running on Empty: Metabolic Ageing in Blood Stem Cells (RUSHWORTH_U27DTP)
Key details
- Application Deadline
- 30 November 2026 23:59 UK Time
- Location
- UEA
- Funding Type
- Competition Funded (Home and International)
- Start Date
- 1 October 2027
- Mode of Study
- Full-time
- Programme Type
- PhD
)
Welcome to Norwich
According to the Sunday Times, this city is one of the best places to live in the UK.
Project Description
Primary Supervisor - Professor Stuart Rushworth
Every blood cell in your body, from oxygen-carrying red cells to virus-fighting white cells, begins life in a rare population of blood stem cells that must stay active for an entire lifetime. As we age, these stem cells lose their edge, contributing to the immune decline and blood disorders associated with growing older. This project tackles a fundamental question in ageing biology: why do blood stem cells run low on metabolic fuel as we age, and can we intervene? You will focus on glutamine, a nutrient we have shown is essential for healthy blood stem cell function, to uncover why its supply falters with age and whether restoring it can reverse stem-cell decline.
Our previous work revealed that an ageing bone marrow environment blunts immune responses in older individuals. Exciting new data now show that blood stem cells themselves also develop intrinsic metabolic defects. This project will be among the first to pin down these cell-intrinsic changes and test directly whether they compromise stem-cell function and blood output, opening a new route to understanding, and potentially reversing, age-related decline in the blood system.
You will receive comprehensive, hands-on training in a broad and highly sought-after skillset: primary cell isolation, in-vivo and in-vitro modelling, metabolomics, stable isotope tracing, flow cytometry (FACS), LC-MS-based metabolite analysis, qPCR, western blotting, ELISA and metabolic flux analysis. This multidisciplinary training will set you up for a competitive career in academic, clinical or industry research.
You will be based in the Rushworth Lab at Norwich Medical School, UEA, a dynamic, well-funded research group with a strong record of high-impact publications and PhD training success, working alongside expert collaborators at the Earlham Institute and across the Norwich Research Park, one of Europe’s leading centres for life-science research.
The Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme (NRPDTP) is offering fully funded studentships for October 2027 entry. The programme offers postgraduates the opportunity to undertake a 4-year PhD research project whilst enhancing professional development and research skills through a comprehensive training programme. You will join a vibrant community of world-leading researchers. All NRPDTP students undertake a three-month professional internship placement (PIPS) during their study. The placement offers exciting and invaluable work experience designed to enhance professional development. Full support and advice will be provided by our Professional Internship team.
This project has been shortlisted for funding by the NRPDTP. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th February 2027.
Visit our website for further information on eligibility and how to apply: https://biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk
Our partners value diverse and inclusive work environments that are positive and supportive. Students are selected for admission without regard to gender, marital or civil partnership status, disability, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, age or social background.
To maximise accessibility and attract students from underrepresented groups to our programme we have introduced bespoke templates for applicant Personal and Research statements which will enable every applicant to fully represent themselves through providing suitable examples and evidence. These forms are on the NRPDTP website and must be used for these sections of the application form.
Entry Requirements
At least UK equivalence Bachelors (Honours) 2:1. English Language requirement (Faculty of Science equivalent: IELTS 6.5 overall, 6 in each category).
Funding
This project is awarded with a 4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD DTP studentship. The studentship includes payment of tuition fees (directly to the University), a stipend to cover living expenses (2026/27 stipend rate: £21,805, and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000pa for each year of the studentship.
References
"Linking mitochondria, fatty acids, and hematopoietic stem cell expansion during infection: implications for aging and metabolic diseases.
Hampton K, Polski-Delve A, Hellmich C, Rushworth SA.
Stem Cells. 2025 Oct 16;43(11):sxaf053. doi: 10.1093/stmcls/sxaf053.
Acute myeloid leukemia-driven IL-3-dependent upregulation of BCL2 in non-malignant hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells increases venetoclax-induced cytopenias.
Fowler-Shorten DJ, Maynard RS, Hampton K, Altera A, Markham M, Ehikioya M, Wojtowicz EE, Bowles KM, Rushworth SA, Hellmich C.
Haematologica. 2024 May 1;109(5):1576-1581. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2023.283944.
Plasma cell-derived mtDAMPs activate the macrophage STING pathway, promoting myeloma progression.
Jibril A, Hellmich C, Wojtowicz EE, Hampton K, Maynard R, De Silva R, Fowler-Shorten DJ, Mistry JJ, Moore JA, Bowles KM, Rushworth SA.
Blood. 2023 Jun 22;141(25):3065-3077. doi: 10.1182/blood.2022018711. "