Dr Tomoko Iwata, Prof Hing Leung
No more applications being accepted
About the Project
Bladder cancer is common, however the effective chemotherapy is lacking and development of new drug is one of the main priorities. To accelerate the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy, better biomarkers which enable rapid and reliable monitoring of tumour response are required. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) consists of DNA fragments originating from advanced tumours and present in blood circulation, and is detected by the presence of tumour-specific somatic mutations. It has been shown that the plasma ctDNA levels drop when surgical removal of tumours are successful, while its levels remain when residual tumours or metastasis are present. The use of blood plasma and urine as "liquid biopsy" is considered by far the least invasive in contrast to repeated cystoscopy otherwise required in monitoring bladder cancer. Therefore, individualised tumour-specific ctDNA biomarker is an innovative tool for real-time monitoring of tumour status, which significantly enhances the following up process of chemotherapy response, and potentially also the early detection of residual or metastatic bladder cancer. The project aims to identify the optimum panel of somatic mutations as a ctDNA detection tool, and to evaluate the technical feasibility and efficiency of molecular tracking by ctDNA in liquid biopsies. A ctDNA molecular panel will then be refined using Next Generation exome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. Finally, by using the lineage-specific conditional expression of known bladder cancer genes in mice, the student will explore the relationship amongst tumour cell origins, bladder cancer types and biological mechanisms underlying ctDNA infiltration.
Start date is 1 October 2015, earlier dates can be discussed.
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Funding Notes
This PhD is funded by the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Tuition fees are covered at the level set for UK/EU students. International students may apply however will require to cover the difference.