Qualification Type: | PhD |
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Location: | Newcastle upon Tyne |
Funding for: | UK Students, EU Students, International Students |
Funding amount: | £17,668 |
Hours: | Full Time |
Placed On: | 3rd February 2023 |
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Closes: | 8th March 2023 |
Reference: | TC052 |
Award Summary
100% of home tuition fees and an annual stipend (£17,668). International candidates must fund the difference between home and international fees.
Overview
Are you interested in developing advanced cell-based modelling systems for one of the most fatal brain tumours in childhood?
Medulloblastoma is the commonest malignant brain tumour of childhood. Amplification of the MYC proto-oncogene is characteristic of Group 3 medulloblastoma (MBGroup3). MYC-amplified MBGroup3 (MBGroup3-MYC) tumours are refractory to treatment and carry a devastating prognosis. Despite this, treatment for MBGroup3-MYC has not changed for decades. Reasons include, MYC is not directly targetable, MYC-associated biology is not well understood, and in vitro 2D pre-clinical models lack complexity and disease-relevance.
You will develop novel in vitro 3D-models of MBGroup3-MYC using isogenic MYC-regulable and patient-derived, cell-lines. You will develop scaffold-free and scaffolded 3D-models, combined with an integrative characterisation of their transcriptomes and (phospho-)proteomes. Bioinformatic approaches will cross-compare all MBGroup3-MYC 3D-models and assess their disease relevance in comparison with equivalent data from a large human tumour cohort. This integrated, cell-based 3D-modelling and characterisation of MBGroup3-MYC will be used to identify therapeutic targets for pre-clinical investigation and clinical translation.
This studentship is embedded within the Paediatric Brain Tumour Group, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, which has an international reputation for translational research in medulloblastoma. Furthermore, there will be opportunities to interact with multiple local and collaborating experts, providing a holistic overview of cutting-edge medulloblastoma research.
Number Of Awards
One
Start Date
September 2023
Award Duration
Four years
Application Closing Date
08/03/2023
Sponsor
Children’s Cancer North and The Newcastle Hospitals Charity
Supervisors
Dr Taylor, Translational and Clinical Research Institute
Dr Hill, Translational and Clinical Research Institute
Professor Clifford, Translational and Clinical Research Institute
Eligibility Criteria
You must have/expect to achieve at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent in an appropriate subject including biomedical sciences, biochemistry or pharmacology.
The studentship covers fees at the home rate. All applicants will be considered but will be required to make up any deficit in fees.
Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5, with a minimum of 5.5 in each subsection.
Knowledge/experience in molecular biology and tissue culture is desirable. Applicants must be willing to learn bioinformatics. An interest in brain tumour molecular biology is essential.
How To Apply
Complete the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal
Provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:
Contact Details
Dr Taylor, Translational and Clinical Research Institute (Louisa.Taylor@ncl.ac.uk)
Dr Hill, Translational and Clinical Research Institute (Rebecca.Hill@ncl.ac.uk_
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