Cancer Biology PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships in Dundee

Characterisation of novel therapeutic approaches against invasive breast cancer

Supervisor: Dr L de la Vega

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of death from cancer in women worldwide. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Targeting Ras palmitoylation for the treatment of cancer

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Lay summary. Proteins can be thought of as molecular machines that carry out work within cells. Protein activity can be regulated through the reversible attachment of certain chemical groups to specific amino acids within proteins. Read more

Supervisor: Dr N Fraser

MSc by Research: Regulation and mechanics in polarized trafficking

Supervisor: Dr D H Murray

Membranes and their protein organization are a frontier in our understanding of cell biology. We focus on polarized trafficking as a model to uncover fundamental mechanisms in the organization of structures at membranes. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Funded PhD Programme (Students Worldwide) PhD Opportunities

School of Life Sciences Black Scholars Programme

University of Dundee

The School of Life Sciences and the University of Dundee are committed to addressing under-representation in postgraduate research and we are pleased to offer our first Masters by Research Scholarships for UK students from Black or Black-Mixed Backgrounds. Read more

MSc by Research: Targeted protein post-translational modification to rewire cell signalling

Supervisors: Prof G Sapkota, Dr S Virdee

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins, such as ubiquitylation and phosphorylation, are fundamental determinants of protein function and cellular signalling. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Vascularisation of tumour organoids for mechanistic and drug development

Supervisors: Dr C Murdoch, Dr S Banerjee

Gliomas such as are the most common form of brain tumour, a subset Glioblastoma (GBM) are devastating adult brain cancer with high rates of recurrence and treatment resistance. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Identifying secreted biomarkers in brain cancer

Supervisor: Dr S Banerjee

Stage IV brain cancer or glioblastoma (GBM) poses a major challenge with only 5 FDA approved chemotherapeutic drugs available for treatment. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Investigating how dormant senescent cells can drive drug-resistance following chemotherapy

Supervisors: Dr A Saurin, Dr T Ly

Most anti-cancer chemotherapeutics work by inducing DNA damage and arresting the cell cycle in either G1 or G2 phase. A frequent outcome of this arrest is that cells exit the cell cycle into a state known as senescence. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Fertility preservation of male childhood cancer patients

Supervisors: Dr F Lopes, Prof R Mitchell

Every day, around five children receive a diagnosis of cancer in the United Kingdom, with boys slightly more frequently than girls. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

University of Dundee Dental School

PI3K-Akt expression in dysplastic oral lesions and implications for recurrence and malignant transformation

There are around 12,400 new head and neck cancer cases in the UK every year, that's 34 every day (2016-2018) with 4,143 deaths each year. Read more

Supervisors: Prof M Macluskey, Dr I Ellis, Dr M Islam, Dr S. J. Jones

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

University of Dundee Dental School

Is there a role for Fusobacterium nucelatum, candida or HV16 in oral disease progression?

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for over 90% of all oral cancers and is generally considered the 8th most common cancer worldwide [1]. Read more

Supervisors: Prof M Macluskey, Dr D H Edwards

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Expanding the ligandable E3 ubiquitin ligases for targeted protein degradation

Supervisors: Prof G Sapkota, Dr S Virdee

Out of more than 600 E3 ubiquitin ligases in cells, currently only a handful have small molecule binders that can be used for PROteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) and harnessed for targeted protein degradation. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Investigating the tumor suppressor functions of chromatin remodelling

Supervisor: Prof T A Owen-hughes

One of the unanticipated outcomes of population based genome sequencing has been the finding that genes involved in the regulation of many genes are mutated at high frequency in tissue specific cancers. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Monitoring and manipulating kinase activity in stem cells

Supervisor: Dr J Januschke

Posttranslational modifications of proteins are important regulatory events that impact most if not all physiological functions of cells. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Using genome editing to study the mechanisms of immune cell proliferation and differentiation

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

T lymphocytes mediate long-term adaptive immunity to viruses and tumour cells. T lymphocytes recognize foreign antigens via specific interactions with the T cell receptor (TCR) that is expressed on the cell surface. Read more

Supervisor: Dr T Ly

MSc by Research: How are SUMO substrates selected for modification ?

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

SUMO has diverse roles in cellular physiology that in most cases are mediated by its ability to interact non-covalently with hydrophobic patches of low sequence complexity known as SUMO Interaction Motifs (SIMs). Read more

Supervisor: Prof R Hay

MSc by Research: Understanding the functions of ERphagy via its targeted cargos

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

The selective degradation of the endoplasmic reticulum via autophagy, also known as ERphagy, is a fundamental cellular process that has been observed under different stresses and stimuli. Read more

Supervisor: Dr JRL Liang

Developing novel targeted therapeutic approaches through induced-proximity of proteins

Supervisors: Prof G Sapkota, Prof A Ciulli

Protein post-translational code is at the heart of protein function and signal transduction in cells. Enzymes catalyse the addition or removal of post-translational modifications (PTM), such as phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation, and ubiquitylation, on proteins. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only