{"id":2127,"date":"2026-01-26T08:45:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T08:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/mfig\/?p=2127"},"modified":"2026-04-17T09:43:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:43:22","slug":"meet-the-phd-student-huasen-yu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/mfig\/2026\/01\/26\/meet-the-phd-student-huasen-yu\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the PhD student: Huasen Yu"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi, I\u2019m Huasen, a new PhD student in Microbiology supervised by Dr Margherita Bertuzzi and Dr Jonathan Worboys.<\/p>\n

I was born and bred in Beijing and completed my BEng at Capital Medical University. After graduating, I did an internship at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, where I developed a strong interest in human pathogens. I then completed an MSc in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Nottingham, and I\u2019m currently working on a research project with the Manchester Fungal Infection Group (MFIG).<\/p>\n

My research mainly focuses on how alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) recognise and internalise Aspergillus fumigatus<\/em> spores, and why this frontline defence is compromised in people at risk of fungal lung disease. I will use a proximity-labelling approach to identify proteins that mediate A. fumigatus<\/em> uptake by AECs. This offers a powerful way to map the epithelial uptake machinery, including weak and transient interactions that are often missed by conventional affinity-based methods. Ultimately, this project aims to define the molecular mechanisms of epithelial defence and support the development of AEC-targeted immunomodulators.<\/p>\n

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Related<\/h1>\n

Related posts:<\/h3>
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Meet the PhD Student: Natalie Shores<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a>
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Meet the team: Helen Harris<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a>
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Meet the PhD Student: Thomas Easter<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>
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