Project Reference: ICS27-SCI-CH1

Project title: Rejuvenation in a dish: elucidating the functional and epigenetic effects of lab-grown human foetal plasma on ageing human cells

Project outline

Human cells are profoundly shaped by the environment in which they exist, yet most laboratory culture systems rely on animal-derived serum that exhibits strong batch effects and may poorly reflect conditions in the human body. Foetal environments are known to be uniquely permissive for cell growth and repair, which is also one reason wound healing is scarless before birth. This project investigates whether lab-grown human foetal plasma - manufactured at scale for the first time by our industrial partner HALOS Biosciences, Inc. - can recreate this regenerative, rejuvenating effect in cells from older donors, and whether it offers a more physiologically relevant alternative to current culture methods.

Using cells from human volunteers spanning a range of ages, including skin-derived fibroblasts and various stem cell populations, we will compare how they respond to culture conditions, assess how conditions affect growth, function, and ageing features, in particular epigenetic marks, asking whether foetal plasma can shift the epigenetic age of cells towards a more youthful, regenerative profile. The objectives include:

  • Establishing ex vivo cultures and performing screening across different conditions
  • Molecular profiling of cells in culture including DNA methylation and epigenetic ageing features
  • Determining whether foetal plasma enhances functional cellular readouts, including regenerative capacity, particularly in cells from older donors
  • Evaluate synthetic foetal plasma as a scalable alternative to animal serum, with regenerative medicine potential. 

The student will gain expertise in cell culture, epigenomics techniques, translational research and bioprocessing, and bioinformatics, supervised jointly by academic and industry partners.

Principal Supervisor

Dr Chiara Herzog

Email address: ch2151@cam.ac.uk

Department / Partner Institute: Cambridge Stem Cell Institute

Website: https://www.herzog-lab.com/

Industrial Partner

HALOS Biosciences, Inc.

BBSRC strategic theme

Understanding the rules of life