Understanding stem cells: Cutting edge technologies in multi-parameter and spectral flow cytometry

FUNDING: 10 weeks (full time, 37 hrs per week, £12.60 per hour, £500 student accommodation bursary)
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LOCATION: York, UK
SUPERVISOR(S):

Dr. Sukhveer Kaur Mann and Prof. David Kent, Dept. of Biology, York


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Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) are one of the best studied adult stem cell systems with a wide range of robust single cell molecular and functional assays available for assessing differences in individual HSCs. The Kent group and the University of York Technology Facility have been pioneers in HSC biology and analysis of these cells by a technique called flow cytometry. A new type of spectral flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson, S8 sorter) allows us to add a new modality to our HSC heterogeneity studies.  We will use this project to study primary mouse HSCs across a battery of in vitro assays with known functional heterogeneity to try and correspond those functions with the location and/or pattern of expression of cell surface molecules.  Cells will be sorted using the S8 machine and studied in a manner similar to our previous publications.  The student will gain skills in flow cytometry, experimental design,  and tissue culture. They will be embedded in a thriving community of haematologists, immunologists, and technologists that work together in the Centre for Blood Research, which works to understand the properties of blood and how it contributes to diseases such as blood cancer. Students will need to find their own accommodation and be expected to present their findings orally at a research day in York in September 2025.