A CRUK funded PhD studentship in the Northern Institute for Cancer Research....

Postgraduate Opportunities

Newcastle University

A CRUK funded PhD studentship in the Northern Institute for Cancer Research - Neutrophils as drivers of hepatocellular carcinoma progression – predictive biomarker and target for therapeutic intervention?
Reference code: CR072
Closing date: 2The closing date for applications will be 15 February 2016
Supervisors:
Dr H Reeves, Northern Institute for Cancer Research
Professor D Mann, Institute of Cellular Medicine
Dr C Wilson, Institute of Cellular Medicine
Sponsor: Cancer Research UK.
Duration of the award: The funding is available for 4 years from September 2016; a one year MRes in Cancer followed by a three year PhD, or a four year PhD (if an applicant has a cancer related masters equivalent).
Person Specification
You must have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree in biomedicine or a related area. A further qualification such as an MSc or MRes is advantageous.
This award is available to UK/EU and international applicants. If English is not your first language, you must have IELTS 7 with at least 6.5 in the written component, or equivalent. Further details can be found on the CRUK website
Project Description
This project will focus on the role of neutrophils in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
HCC is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, owing to a lack of understanding of the key factors driving its progression, as well as limited treatment options. The adaptive immune response (lymphocytes predominantly) has received much attention in the cancer field in the hope that its manipulation will deliver effective cancer therapies. We hypothesise however, that innate immune responses – of neutrophils in particular – are key, both in initiating cancer development as well as driving its progression. The student will characterise relationships between tissue and circulating neutrophils (numbers and phenotype) in association with HCC tumour grade, stage and outcome in human subjects and animal models of HCC. The student will also explore the impact of manipulation of neutrophils (number, phenotype) and their created environment (chemokine networks) on outcome in vitro an in vivo.
The project will provide a broad grounding in contemporary techniques relevant to translational cancer research, becoming familiar with the development and validation of targeted anti-cancer therapy. He/she will be trained by experienced personnel in cell culture, tumour and tissue handling, protein extraction and purification, western blotting, immunohistochemistry, FACS and gene expression analyses. The student will have ‘Research Passport’ granting supervised honorary clinical access and will acquire a Home Office Licence, receiving training in animal handling, anaesthesia and surgical techniques. Training will also be given in data handling, processing, interpretation and statistical analyses.

Funding information

Value:

100% of UK/EU tuition fees paid and stipend set by CRUK of approximately £19,000 per year.

Funding applies to:

Open to applicants from a range of countries

Funding notes:

This award is available to UK/EU and international applicants. If English is not your first language, you must have IELTS 7 with at least 6.5 in the written component, or equivalent. Further details can be found on the CRUK website.

Contacts and how to apply

Academic contact:

For further details, please email Dr H L Reeves, Northern Institute for Cancer Research: H.L.Reeves@ncl.ac.uk

Administrative contact and how to apply:

All applicants should complete the University’s postgraduate application system.
To do this please ‘Create a new account’.
Include the following information:
• programme code 8300F
• select ‘PhD in the Faculty of Medical Sciences – Cancer Research' as ‘programme of study’
• insert the studentship code CR072
• attach a covering letter and CV, including studentship title and reference code CR072
• attach degree transcripts and certificates and a copy of your English language qualifications if appropriate

Application deadline:

15 February 2016