A fantastic opportunity for a postdoctoral fellow to work with Paola Bonfanti at The Francis Crick Institute and Anna Randi at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College in London, UK.

The thymus undergoes progressive age-associated involution, driving immune decline. The mechanisms underlying thymic ageing remain poorly understood. Involution involves profound tissue remodelling, including adipogenesis, loss of epithelial architecture and disruption of the thymic vascular network. We recently discovered postnatal thymic epithelial stem cells within a perivascular niche; we hypothesise that age-dependent changes in vascular-derived angiocrine signals disrupt thymic homeostasis, promote adipogenesis and impair regeneration. Emerging evidence suggests that vascular ageing drives tissue ageing and that restoration of endothelial health can rejuvenate organ function.

This interdisciplinary project will define how the vascular niche regulates thymic function across the lifespan. Combining access to human thymic tissue with single-cell and spatial multi-omics, advanced human 3D-culture thymic models and mechanistic in vivo studies, we will identify and validate pathways controlling thymic maintenance and regeneration. By integrating vascular and thymus biology, the project aims to uncover actionable mechanisms for thymus rejuvenation and healthier immune ageing.