Research Projects
Muscle BDNF Signalling in Neuromuscular Junction Development


Programme(s) to which this project applies:
☑ MPhil/PhD ☒ MRes[Med] ☑ URIS

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the well-studied member of neurotrophin family that plays fundamental roles in many distinct processes in the nervous system, including neuronal outgrowth, survival, and differentiation, as well as synaptic formation, plasticity, and elimination. An important question of how BDNF could serve diverse functions, even in the same cell, remains unclear. BDNF appears to exert synapse-selective actions, implicating potential activity-dependent mechanisms of localized BDNF release in this process. In this project, advanced live-cell imaging will be performed to address how the spatiotemporal release of BDNF proteins is regulated at the sites of AChR clusters at developing NMJs.

Dr YH Huang, School of Biomedical Sciences

Dr Huang is an Assistant Professor, jointly affiliated with the School of Biomedical Sciences and the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at HKU. Prior to joining HKU, he was an EBPOD research fellow at the University of Cambridge and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI). Dr Huang completed his BEng in Automation from Tsinghua University (2009-2013) and PhD in Informatics (Machine learning and computational biology) from the University of Edinburgh (2014-2017).

Biography
yuanhua@hku.hk

For more information or to express interest for this project, please email the supervisor or the specified contact point in the project description.  Interested candidates are advised to enclose with your email:

  1. your CV,
  2. a brief description of your research interest and experience, and
  3. two reference letters (not required for HKUMed UG students seeking MRes[Med]/URIS projects).

Information on the research programme, funding support and admission documentations could be referenced online at the Research Postgraduate Admissions website. General admission enquiries should be directed to rpgmed@hku.hk.

HKUMed MBBS students interested in the Master of Research in Medicine (MRes[Med]) programme may visit the programme website for more information.  

HKUMed UG students interested in the Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme (URIS) may visit the scheme’s website for more information. 

Research @ School of Biomedical Sciences