PhD Scholarships
4 Year CRUK PhD Studentship – September 2018 “Heterogeneity in Small Cell Lung Cancer”
*4 Year CRUK PhD Studentship – September 2018*
_*“Heterogeneity in Small Cell Lung Cancer”*_
*Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Research Group – Professor Caroline Dive*
Small Cell lung Cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive type of lung cancer with a dismal prognosis and with no impact thus far of novel targeted therapies. A cardinal feature is early dissemination of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) with resultant widespread distant metastases.
Our data thus far show a remarkable genomic heterogeneity amongst and between individual patients CTCs but the functional relevance of this heterogeneity is unclear. We recently demonstrated that a copy number alteration signature in individuals CTCs predicts whether a patient is initially chemosensitive or chemorefractory (Carter et al, Nature Medicine 2016), setting a precedent for understanding SCLC biology via CTC molecular analysis.
In 2014 we pioneered the development of CTC derived patient explant models (CDX), whereby donor patient blood samples enriched for CTCs give rise when injected s.c., to SCLC tumours in immune compromised mice (Hodgkinson et al, Nature Medicine 2014). We currently hold 45 CDX models including those generated from the same patient pre-treatment and upon chemoresistant disease progression (Frese et al, CCR submitted). In these studies, there was a 50% chance that a patient whose matched blood sample contained >100 EpCam positive CTCs per 7.5ml would generate a CDX model. We have also shown that as few as 5 CDX cells can recapitulate CDX growth (Jahchan et al, 2016). However, we do not know what precisely defines whether a particular SCLC subclone(s) is more tumourigenic and whether there is any common molecular trait(s) for CTC tumourigenicity. This project will identify biomarkers of tumourigenicity in SCLC CTCs by comparing isolated CTC phenotypes and genotypes with those of patient matched and disaggregated CDX cells both at baseline and at disease progression in CDX models driven by neuroendocrine progenitor markers ASCL1 and NEUROD1. The project will build on our established workflows for single molecular CTC analysis and CDX generation and exploit ongoing developments in CDX cell labelling with in vivo tracking. The project seeks to define key capabilities in CTCs that facilitate primary and secondary tumour growth in the mouse host with a view to therapy target discovery. New targets would be prosecuted in collaboration with the CRUK MI DDU.
Informal enquiries should be addressed to Professor Caroline Dive; [email protected]
Interested students can find full group project details, entry criteria and details on how to apply on the CRUK Manchester Institute website;
http://www.cruk.manchester.ac.uk/education/PhD-Studentships
*Closing date: Friday 19 January 2018, 2400 hrs (GMT)*
*Interview date: Wednesday 14 February 2018, Alderley Park, Cheshire*
PhD Scholarships
PhD positions at The University of Warwick : Biological Sciences/Synthetic biology (# of pos: 4)
Our group is offering PhD positions for 2018-2019 academic year. These studentships are hosted by The University of Warwick Doctoral Training Centres
Details below
1) PhD project title: Engineering microbial chemical factories to produce renewable and modified biomaterials.
PhD is hosted via MIBT Partnership
Research Area : Synthetic biology, Organocatalysis, Structural biology and enzymology
Link :- https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/mibtp/pgstudy/phd_opportunities/molecularandmetabolicengineering2018/biomaterials
2) PhD project title: Development of novel halogenase enzymes for biopharmaceutical applications.
PhD is hosted via MIBT Partnership
Research Area : Synthetic biology, Organocatalysis, Structural biology and enzymology
Link :- https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/mibtp/pgstudy/phd_opportunities/molecularandmetabolicengineering2018/applications
3) PhD project title: Expanding the genetic lexicon: Developing novel tools for non-natural amino acid incorporation in to therapeutic peptides and proteins.
PhD is hosted via SynBIO DTC
Research Area : Synthetic biology, Organocatalysis, Structural biology and enzymology
Link :- https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/study/pgr/studentships/synbiocdt
4) PhD project title: Bioplastics from E. coli
PhD is hosted via SynBIO DTC
Research Area : Synthetic biology, Organocatalysis, Structural biology and enzymology
Link :- https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/study/pgr/studentships/synbiocdt
Applications are encouraged from UK, EU and International students.
Please be aware that International (non EU) applicants are not eligible for EPSRC/BBSRC funded studentships.
To be eligible for a full EPSRC/BBSRC award (Tuition fees and Stipend) a student must have:
- Settled status in the UK, meaning they have no restrictions on how long then can stay and
- Been ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK for 3 years prior to the start of the studentship. This means they must have been normally residing in the UK (apart from temporary or occasional absences) and
- Not been residing in the UK wholly or mainly for the purpose of full-time education. (This does not apply to UK or EU nationals).
To be eligible for an EPSRC/BBSRC tuition fees only award:
- Students from EU countries other than the UK are generally eligible for a fees-only award. To be eligible for a fees-only award, a student must be ordinarily resident in a member state of the EU, in the same way as UK students must be ordinarily resident in the UK.
Interested students with research experience and qualification please contact us directly.
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/people/bmenon/
France Scholarships
PhD position in quantum optimal control theory at the University of Bourgogne
This PhD project aims at applying innovative mathematical tools coming
from optimal control theory to improve theoretical and experimental techniques
in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), in Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and in NV
centers. This approach will allow us to explore and to experimentally reach the
physical limits of the corresponding spin dynamics in presence of typical
experimental imperfections and limitations. A first objective will be to
develop new optimal control algorithms able for an inhomogeneous ensemble of
spins to maximize the signal to noise ratio per unit time of the system. A
general problem is to generalize the Ernst angle solution used in NMR, which is
only valid for a homogeneous spin ensemble. This work will be done in
collaboration with the group of S. Glaser (TUM, Munich, Germany). This approach
will find different applications in NMR and ESR where the sensitivity of the
experiment is a crucial parameter. The student will focus on a specific
experimental setup in ESR used by the group of P. Bertet (CEA, Paris Saclay),
where an important goal is the maximization of the emitted signal of spins
coupled to a microwave resonator. The student will take into account in the
numerical computation specific constraints of this experimental setup. In the
same direction, the student will also use optimal control techniques to design
new CMPG sequences accounting for the coupling between the spins and the
cavity. The same types of control techniques will also be used for manipulating
NV ensembles in collaboration with the group of T. Debuisschert (Thalès,
Paris). This will allow the improvement of the sensitivity of the corresponding
experiments. For a more fundamental point of view, the ESR will investigate the
numerical techniques used to design robust control fields with respect to
experimental imperfections. A first objective will be to understand the
efficiency of these methods and to prove the optimality (this concept will be
to define rigorously) of the control fields. The ESR will mainly study spin
systems but it is clear that the results of this project will not be restricted
to the physical systems investigated and the techniques developed during the
PhD could be applied to other physical systems with similar properties.
Israel Scholarships
Marie Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) META-CAN – PhD position in Computational biology to…
The Machine Learning for Healthcare and Life Sciences group at IBM Research – Haifa is a partner in the funded Marie Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) META-CAN. The network is a pan-European interdisciplinary and intersectoral training programme for excellence. It brings young researchers together with world-leading academics, clinicians, and industry personnel to focus on the connections of metabolism, immune response, and cancer.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly-motivated early stage researcher (ESR), with a background and experience in computational biology, machine learning and/or statistics and good programming skills (preferably in Python or R). This ESR will study towards a PhD degree and, under our guidance (and in collaboration with the Technion Integrated Cancer Center), will analyze comprehensive omics data to better understand the metabolic adaptations of cancer cells to the central nervous system niche.
The right candidate will enjoy a competitive salary and outstanding work environment.
For more details see http://metacan.eu/ or contact [email protected]
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