The Effect of Glucose on Follicle Health (Professor Suzannah Williams)
PROJECT TITLE
The Effect of Glucose on Follicle Health
SUPERVISORS
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
The average adult in the UK now gets nearly 60% of their diet from ultra-processed food (UPF). A diet high in UPF has already been linked to multiple adverse health outcomes including, type-II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and all-cause mortality. One of the defining nutritional features of UPF is the high sugar content. On average, UPF is 21.1% sugar, compared to 2.4% in processed and 3.7% in unprocessed foods. These sugars, including glucose, fructose, and maltodextrin, contribute to systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance. These same biological mechanisms are increasingly shown to be detrimental to ovarian health and female fertility.
This project will use ex vivo human ovarian tissue culture to investigate how follicles respond to different glucose concentrations. By exposing tissue samples to controlled glucose levels over a planned timeline, the project will assess whether the frequency of glucose exposure influences follicle health. Follicular development and ovarian function will be evaluated through measures of cell proliferation and apoptosis.
Building on these findings, the project could incorporate multi-omic analyses to uncover the molecular pathways by which glucose affects ovarian health, providing a deeper mechanistic understanding and potential targets for intervention.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
The student will join a highly collaborative environment and be introduced to using tissue culture for their project. The opportunities include:
- Research training in tissue culture, embedding, sectioning, histology, immunohistochemistry, image analysis and statistical analysis.
- Regular research group meetings to understand current research landscape, methodology and potential collaborations
- Skills training in presentation, scientific writing, funding applications and scientific leadership
Funding Information
The position is not currently funded and therefore the candidate will need to secure funding. We will support students in their application for independent scholarships.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this research degree, please click here.