Programme description

Our PhD/MPhil Cell Matrix Research programme enables you to undertake a research project that will improve understanding of the interactions between cells and their extracellular matrix environment in the contexts of health, disease and tissue regeneration.

Cells continuously sense, synthesise and remodel the proteins and glycosaminoglycans that form the Extracellular Matrix (ECM). This matrix varies in its biochemical and biophysical properties in different parts of the body, and their responses to these differences influence the motility, growth, differentiation and survival of cells. Therefore, cell-matrix interactions underpin the development of multicellular organisms and are essential throughout the life of an organism.

Aberrations in cell-matrix communication are associated with severe diseases, such as cancer, fibrosis, cardiovascular disease, and inflammatory disorders. Conversely, the synthesis of healthy matrix can be used to induce new functional tissue that can support regeneration. Because understanding how cells sense and synthesise their ECM is critically important for preventing disease and supporting tissue regeneration, our Cell Matrix postgraduate research programme comprises projects that study:

• the biochemistry and biophysical properties of the ECM;
• the mechanisms of how cells interact with the matrix and how they translate the extracellular information into a cellular response;
• how cell-matrix interactions affect cell fate and tissue function;
• the mechanisms of how cells synthesise and remodel their ECM environment, including how aberrant signals affect health and can result in disease;
• how ECM signalling can be applied to tissue regeneration.

Career opportunities

Your postgraduate research degree will open up a range of career opportunities after you graduate.