PhD: Amyloid, Synapses and Glia Across Species

The University of Edinburgh seeks a PhD student to find out whether amyloid plaques drive synapse loss and change synapse-glia interactions in ageing dogs, cats, bats and dolphins, on a funded four-year EASTBIO PhD with Prof Tara Spires-Jones, Dr Robert McGeachan and Dr Sonja Vernes.

About the Project

Many species including humans, cats, dogs, dolphins, and whales, can develop age-related accumulation of amyloid beta in the form of amyloid plaques, which is often associated with cognitive decline. In humans, plaque pathology is frequently accompanied by tau pathology, together causing Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid plaques in humans, and in genetically modified mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, drive the loss of synapses – the connections between neurons – and this synapse loss correlates with symptom progression.

Our lab has previously shown that in humans, mice, and cats with amyloid plaques, microglia and astrocytes accumulate around plaques, where they engulf synapses. However, it remains unknown whether plaque-associated synapse loss and glial engulfment of synapses occur in other species. Recent breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research have produced two immunotherapies that clear amyloid pathology and slow disease progression. In humans, we have observed that these therapies may act in part by rescuing plaque-associated synapse loss and restoring normal synapse-glia interactions. Such immunotherapies are not yet available in veterinary practice, partly due to a lack of data on the effects of plaques in animals.

In this project, the student will examine brain tissue from aged dogs, cats, bats, and dolphins to determine whether amyloid plaques are present and, where they are, whether they are associated with synapse loss, gliosis, and altered glial engulfment of synapses. We also have access to tissue from a cohort of aged dogs treated with anti-amyloid immunotherapy, enabling us to investigate whether this treatment can rescue plaque-associated synapse and glia phenotypes. This work will advance our understanding of how the ageing brain differs across mammalian species and establish whether amyloid-directed immunotherapies may have value in veterinary medicine. This comparative approach also has potential One Health benefits, as understanding naturally occurring amyloid-associated pathology across species may generate insights relevant to both veterinary and human brain health.

The student will learn a range of neuroscience techniques, including immunohistochemistry, high-resolution imaging, image analysis, and statistical modelling. Tissue from a pilot cohort of each species is already in place, and the student will have the opportunity to collect further tissue with our veterinary colleagues. The student will join the UK Dementia Research Institute, gaining free attendance at the annual UK DRI Connectome meeting and access to career development grants. They will also become part of Edinburgh Neuroscience, a vibrant research community offering tailored PhD training and events.

Relevant Reading

• 10.1111/ejn.70180
• 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101175
• 10.1111/ejn.15900
• 10.1038/s41582-022-00749-z
• 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0208-08.2008
• 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.09.007
• 10.1038/s41467-021-21900-2

How to Apply

This 4 year PhD project is part of a competition funded by EASTBIO BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). Detailed guidance on the application process, and the EASTBIO Application and Reference Forms can be found at How to Apply | Biology.

Please send your completed EASTBIO Application Form along with a copy of your academic transcripts (as a pdf) to INCR.PostgraduateRecruitment@ed.ac.uk You should also contact your referees and ask them to submit their references (on the EASTBIO reference form template) to INCR.PostgraduateRecruitment@ed.ac.uk by the application deadline of 16th November 2026.

Funding Notes

This opportunity is open to UK and international students and provides funding covering stipend and UK level tuition fees. The University of Edinburgh covers the difference between home and international fees meaning that the EASTBIO DTP offers fully-funded studentships to all appointees. There is a cap on the number of international students the DTP recruits. It is therefore important for us to know from the outset which fees status category applicants will fall under when applying to our University.

Please refer to UKRI website and Annex B of the UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions for full eligibility criteria.