Understanding the role of dietary restriction in enhancing healthy lifespan at University of East Anglia

Understanding mechanisms underpinning healthy ageing is fundamental to improving quality of life in an increasingly long-lived society. Different forms of dietary restriction (DR), reduction in nutrient intake without malnutrition, increase lifespan and improve biomarkers of ageing in model organisms. However, long-term DR in a form of reduced calorie intake is difficult to sustain in humans, which limits its applicability for enhancing healthy ageing in human populations. Recent approaches focused on developing DR regimens that do not necessary require reduced calorie intake, such as intermittent or periodic fasting, and on using different small molecules that can mimic DR effects. In this project, you will use a range of these approaches to study the effects of intermittent fasting and DR-mimicking compounds on ageing and age-related diseases in a classical model in biology – Zebrafish (Danio rerio). You will use a molecular ‘ageing clock’ as a biomarker of cellular senescence, as well as a broad range of different phenotypic biomarkers. The goal is to advance our understanding of how we can use dietary interventions to reduce the occurrence of age-related diseases and enhance healthy lifespan. 

The student will develop scientific skills in biogerontology, experimental design, bioinformatics and advanced statistical analyses, as well as in scientific writing. You will be a part of vibrant, collaborative and supportive research community working at the interface of the evolutionary biology of ageing and biogerontology across Maklakov, Immler and Chapman laboratories. You will also be part of a cohort of PhD students at the School of Biological Sciences at UEA. 

This PhD project is in a competition for a Faculty of Science funded studentship.

Funding is available to UK applicants only and comprises ‘home’ tuition fees and an annual stipend of £18,622 (for a maximum of 3 years).

Primary Supervisor: Alexei Maklakov

Start Date: October 2024

For more information on this project, please click the ‘Apply’ button, above