Developing new, fluorescence-based techniques to study sympathetic nerve function within blood vessels and the heart (Miss Lily Cao)
Dr Keith Brain from The University of Birmingham wants to develop a method to study how the ‘autonomic’ nerves that are important for controlling healthy heart and blood vessel function work in living animals. This has so far been difficult to study because there are no lab methods to study autonomic nerves in live tissues. Dr Brain has developed a new experimental technique to visualise autonomic nerve activity in cells and tissues. In this project, his PhD student will develop this technique further in rats, and will study how autonomic nerves are distributed throughout the heart and circulatory system and how they control heart and blood vessel function. The student will also decipher how chemicals produced by the body called endocannabinoids regulate the activity of these nerves in the heart and circulation. This research will give us new insights into how autonomic nerves affect the heart and circulatory system. It may reveal better and safer ways to treat high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms.
Project details
| Grant amount | £116,032 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Fellowships |
| Application type | PhD Studentship |
| Start Date | 01 October 2017 |
| Duration | 3 years, 3 months |
| Reference | FS/17/7/32651 |
| Status | In Progress |
