Detection of circulating cancer cells in patients with pancreatic cancer with a view to developing early detection techniques and novel therapeutics.

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease that has disseminated by the time it is clinically diagnosed. Treatment for disseminated pancreatic cancer is not effective and the majority of patients die within 6 months of diagnosis. In some patients that are being clinically investigated for symptoms other than cancer, it is fortuitously possible to pick up pancreatic cancer well before it has spread and in these cases, surgery is very effective resulting in a long term response (cure) rate of >75%. Clinically therefore, excellent therapeutic outcomes can be achieved provided pancreatic cancer can be detected early. Once it has disseminated however, the outcome for patients receiving this diagnosis is extremely poor.

Early detection of pancreatic cancer therefore has the potential to make a significant impact on survival and this is the principle objective of this project. In collaboration with Astrimmune, quantitative RT-PCR techniques have been developed to detect circulating cancer cells in the peripheral blood of pancreatic cancer patients. In pilot studies, a variety of biomarkers have been evaluated with promising results. This studentship will expand the number of biomarkers evaluated and focus on the predictive value of the tests being developed. In addition to the early detection, many of the biomarkers could be considered as potential targets for therapeutic intervention and the second phase of the project will consider this possibility. Cells that are in the circulatory system will have undergone processes such as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and may have a very different spectrum of potential therapeutic targets compared to the primary tumour. There is the potential to develop novel strategies to directly target the circulating cancer cells rather than the primary tumour and these will be explored using cell lines stimulated to undergo the EMT process.

During the PhD, the student will develop a broad range of skills including cell culture, RT-PCR and haematology, target validation techniques (siRNA). Students should have or expect to hold a Bachelor (First Class or Upper Second Class honours) or Masters degree (Distinction) or equivalent gained outside the UK, in a relevant discipline (e.g. Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biological science, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences or related scientific subject). A Masters degree in a cancer related subject would be highly desirable. Experience of working with human tissues and haematology is also highly desirable.

For further details please contact Prof RM Phillips ([Email Address Removed])