PhD Scholarships
PhD
Exploring the ubiquitylation component UBE2V1 in the DNA damage response and prostate cancer
Supervisors: Dr Christine Schmidt, Dr Esther Baena, Prof. Robert Bristow
Project Description
Since the recent approval of the PARP inhibitor olaparib for treating BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer patients, inhibition of DNA damage response (DDR) enzymes has revolutionized the concept of rational anti-cancer therapies. This paradigm illustrates that detailed mechanistic understanding of DDR factors and knowledge of their aberrations in cancers can lead to more specific, personalised anti-cancer therapies. Targeted treatment drastically decreases the severe side effects common to standard-of-care chemo-/radiotherapies. However, successful long-term benefits of olaparib are currently reserved for a relatively small percentage of patients, highlighting the need of additional targeted therapies. One possibility resides in targeting other DDR components. The ubiquitin system is attractive in this regard, as it harbours numerous factors implicated in the DDR and deregulated in various cancers including prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. 8% of patients present with metastatic disease at diagnosis, with a 5-year survival rate of 28%, illustrating the need for improved treatments. DDR pathways are frequently altered in metastatic prostate cancer (~19%), offering opportunities to sensitise tumours of such patients to DDR inhibitors. The roles of the >600 ubiquitylation factors encoded in humans remain unclear in prostate cells and tumorigenesis. The project aims to characterize the DDR functions of a ubiquitylation factor that is deregulated in prostate cancer and associated with worse clinical outcome. The project will integrate biochemical and cellular assays as well as in vivo mouse models.
Collectively, the work has potential to uncover novel functional redundancies and/or essential elements within the DDR, particularly in a prostate cancer setting. Additionally, the studies will deepen our molecular understanding of how ubiquitylation regulates the DDR and tumorigenesis. Finally, the project could identify novel anti-cancer drug targets and identify new rationalized ways of treating cancers, especially those of prostate origin, where there is an unmet need.
For more information about this PhD scheme please visit http://www.crukcentre.manchester.ac.uk/Training/PhD-Training-Scheme
Funding Notes
The Studentship will cover an annual stipend (currently at £19,000 per annum), running expenses and PhD tuition fees at UK/EU rates. Where international student fees are payable, please provide evidence with your application of how the shortfall will be covered (approximately £16,000 per annum).
Candidates must hold, or be about to obtain, a minimum upper second class (or equivalent) undergraduate degree in relevant subject. A related master’s degree would be an advantage.
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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