PhD: Immune-Mediated Disorders and Risk of Vascular Dementia

Alzheimer’s Society VIDA PhD studentship Imperial College London with Professor Abbas Dehghan on immune mediated inflammatory disease and vascular dementia in VIDA using epidemiology.

An opportunity has arisen for a 4-year PhD studentship within the Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London funded by the VIDA DTC ^[4]. VIDA (Vascular and Immune contributors to DementiA) is a multi-institutional partnership between Alzheimer’s Society and four world-leading research sites: the University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, Imperial, and City St George’s University of London. With projects focussing on the importance of vascular and immune mechanisms in dementia, VIDA PhD students will become the next generation of much-needed dementia researchers, contributing to breakthroughs in dementia diagnosis and treatment.

VIDA students will embark upon a 4-year fully-funded PhD project at one of the four institutions above, with access to the state-of-the-art research facilities and interdisciplinary training available at all sites. Students at each site will come together as a cohort at several points during the programme, including annual conferences and residential workshop retreats which will link in with other Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centres across the UK. Students will also participate in engagement schemes with the Alzheimer’s Society and beyond, sharing the impact of their research in the community. The programme also benefits from built in opportunities for placements with leading industrial partners, and bespoke training plans including schemes to develop teaching, mentoring, and grant writing skills.

Project Description:

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common cause of dementia worldwide, resulting from reduced blood flow and damage to the brain’s vascular system. While high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke are well-known risk factors, growing evidence suggests that chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation also play key roles in the development of VaD. Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn’s disease, and psoriasis are characterised by systemic inflammation and immune dysregulation that can harm blood vessels and the brain. Excess cardiovascular risk in people with IMIDs is well described; however, whether IMIDs are associated with heightened risk of VaD (over and above traditional risk factors) and the molecular mechanisms underpinning such risk remain unclear. IMIDs provide an effective model to identify mechanisms of VaD generally.

This PhD project will systematically investigate the relationship between IMIDs and VaD using complementary epidemiological and genetic approaches. The first aim is to quantify the association between IMIDs and VaD in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), a large UK electronic health-record database. By following patients with and without IMIDs over time, and adjusting for known vascular risk factors, the study will determine whether individuals with IMIDs are at higher risk of developing VaD and whether this association is influenced by inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and/or immune-modulating medications.

The second aim will use Mendelian randomisation (MR), a genetic approach that mimics a randomised trial, to test whether IMIDs are causally related to VaD. Genetic variants that predispose to IMIDs will be used as instruments to estimate their effect on VaD risk, helping to disentangle cause from correlation. This analysis will also explore whether inflammatory proteins such as interleukin-6 or tumour necrosis factor (TNF) mediate these effects.

Finally, the third aim will employ multi-trait genome-wide analysis (MTAG) to identify shared genetic architecture between IMIDs and VaD. By integrating GWAS data from large consortia with proteomic and metabolomic information, the project will highlight genes and pathways common to immune activation, vascular dysfunction, and neurodegeneration.

Together, these analyses will reveal whether chronic immune activation contributes to vascular cognitive decline, identify molecular mediators linking immune and vascular processes, and uncover potential drug targets for prevention. The findings will provide mechanistic insight into the immune–vascular interface in dementia, inform precision prevention strategies, and support the Alzheimer’s Society VIDA (Vascular and Immune contributors to Dementia) initiative’s goal of uncovering modifiable pathways to reduce dementia burden.

Application process:

Applicants must hold (or obtain by October 2026) a first or upper-second-class honours degree or equivalent in a neuroscience, computational neuroscience or cardiovascular science or related discipline. A Master’s degree in a related research is highly desirable but not essential. Applicants must also meet Imperial College’s English language requirements – further details can be found at  https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/requirements/english/ ^[5]. All Imperial College London PhD entry requirements ^[6] must be met.

Applicants should submit their CV and a cover letter, including full contact details of two referees, to Professor Abbas Dehghan apply online ^[7]. We regret that due to the large volume of applications received, we are only able to notify those shortlisted for interview.