Tilly Mason

Thesis title: The influence of pre- and post-transplant epithelial senescence on long term kidney transplant outcomes

Biography

Background

My PhD project investigates how cellular ageing shapes long‑term outcomes in kidney transplantation. As populations age and chronic kidney disease becomes more prevalent, more patients depend on dialysis and renal transplants. Yet despite improvements in short‑term graft survival, long‑term outcomes remain poor - particularly when kidneys come from older donors.

My work focuses on the emerging role of senescent epithelial cells as drivers of chronic allograft fibrosis and dysfunction. Using single‑cell and spatial transcriptomics on paired human renal transplant biopsies, I study how senescent proximal tubular epithelial cells influence fibroblast activation, immune recruitment, and long‑term graft survival. I complement this with in vitro cell culture models and Normothermic Machine Perfusion of human kidneys to identify and validate therapeutic strategies that selectively clear senescent cells or block key signalling pathways.

Qualifications

MSci. Biomedical Science with Honours, Class I, awarded from the University of Birmingham

Responsibilities & affiliations

I am a postgraduate student representative at the Centre for Inflammation Research

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