PhD Scholarships
4 Year CRUK PhD Studentship – September 2018 “The Tumour Stroma in Pancreatic Cancer”
*4 Year CRUK PhD Studentship – September 2018*
_*“The Tumour Stroma in Pancreatic Cancer”*_
*Systems Oncology Research Group – Dr Claus Jorgensen*
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA) has a dismal prognosis with a medium survival below 6 month and an average 5-year survival below 5%. This is due to the aggressive nature of the cancer, a lack of effective therapy and late diagnosis. The most frequent occurring genetic mutations include activating mutations in the oncogene KRAS and inactivating mutations in the tumour suppressors CDKN2A, TP53 and SMAD4, however these mutations are currently undruggable.
PDAC is characterized by an extensive stromal reaction, which takes up on average ~80% of the tumour volume. The tumour stroma contains cellular and non-cellular elements such as an extensively modified extracellular matrix and infiltrating immune- and fibroblastic cells. While cells in the tumour microenvironment have been shown to promote progression and limit therapeutic efficacy, recent data has demonstrate that stromal cells also may be tumour restrictive. Importantly, while emerging data has demonstrated heterogeneity across the stromal infiltrate, there is little understanding of the functional consequence of such heterogeneity.
The aim to the project is to systematically characterize the impact of stromal elements on tumour cell progression and drug resistance in human PDA. This will include high dimensional single cell analysis across primary tissue by single cell sequencing (scRNAseq) and mass cytometry (CyTOF), isolation of cell populations of interest and interrogation by proteomics, CyTOF and CRISPR screening. This is an exciting and stimulating project that will challenge the current view of tumour-stroma interactions. A major ambition of this project aims to identify and validate specific mechanisms whereby fibroblast plasticity alters tumour cell interactions and ultimately regulates tumour cell therapeutic response. This studentship builds on our extensive experience signalling (Tape et al Cell 2016, Tape et al MCP 2014; Worboys et al Nat Methods 2014; Jorgensen 2009 Science).
Informal enquiries should be addressed to Dr Claus Jorgensen; [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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