How do new weight-loss drugs work, and how do they alter gut activity?
Eligible for funding* | PhD
GLP-1 agonists are a new type of drug primarily used to manage blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. They have recently been commonly associated with weight-loss in celebrities. GLP-1 agonists mimic a natural hormone that is released in the small intestine. It is also known to slow stomach emptying, sometimes with detrimental side-effects.
Similar to the heart, the contractions in the stomach are coordinated by electrical waves. We seek to determine if GLP-1 agonists alter these electrical waves and therefore disrupt the breakdown of foods and the natural emptying of the stomach.
The project will involve a broad set of skills including instrumentation, experimentation, signal processing, data analysis, and clinical translation. This project will help to refine our understanding of stomach function, and how new weight-loss drugs alter the activity in the stomach.
Desired skills
- Background in engineering, physics, applied mathematics or equivalent
- Signal processing
- Machine learning
- Data analysis
Contact and supervisors
For more information or to apply for this project, please follow the link to the supervisors below:
Contact/Main supervisors
Supporting supervisor
- Recep Avci
Eligible for funding*
This project is eligible for funding but is subject to eligibility criteria & funding availability.
Page expires: 20 December 2025