2021 MRC Enterprise DTP in Advanced Therapeutics – PhD Student Call

Imperial College London is delighted to offer an MRC Enterprise doctoral training partnership (DTP) in Advanced Therapeutics for 2021-22 entry

A fully funded PhD studentship, with eligibility for UK and non-UK students, with a stipend of £18,000 p/a, including funding at the end of three years for a 6-month writing up period, is now offered.

This studentship is tied to a specific industrial Collaborative Award in Science and Engineering (iCASE) project. MRC Enterprise DTP students will benefit from additional training through the iCASE commercial partner, covering areas such as:

• ethical standards
• good laboratory practice
• discovery and development process
• R&D value chain, key activities and investment decisions
• use of specialised equipment available to the commercial partner

Strategic themes

• Discovery of an Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Product (ATMP; i.e., a gene therapy, a somatic cell therapy, a tissue engineered medicinal product or a combination of these)
• Synthesis/ manufacture of an ATMP
• Delivery of an ATMP

Projects

1. Mechanisms for study and reversal of androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness)
   This is a two-part project: The first part will be dedicated to the development of a microneedle device for the delivery of reprogrammed dermal papilla cells to miniaturised alopecic hair follicles. The second part will involve using in-depth computational analysis and in vitro hair follicle models for understanding the mode of action by which papilla cells rejuvenate hair follicles and reverse androgenetic alopecia.
   Supervisors: Dr Claire Higgins, Dr Sylvain Ladame
   Industrial partner: HairClone
 
2. The development, delivery and efficacy of a novel RNA-based nanoparticle therapeutic for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
   The objectives of this project include: (i) developing a novel nanoparticle drug to carry anti-microRNAs targeting miR-125b /miR-100 in PDAC cells; (ii) adapting these nanoparticles for optimal delivery past the stromal barriers around PDACs; and (iii) assessing the anticancer effects of the candidate nanoparticles in 2-dimensional systems (e.g., cell lines) and 3-dimensional in vitro and ex vivo (from PDAC patients) organoid models.
   Supervisors: Dr Jonathan Krell, Dr Theoni Georgiou, Professor Alex Porter
   Industrial partner: Curesponse

The closing date for applications is Friday 11th June (23:59 GMT); interview date, Tuesday 22nd June 2021.

To be eligible for the MRC Enterprise DTP in Advanced Therapeutics, you must have graduated with a first-class or upper second-class Honours degree (or equivalent) and have or are expected to receive a Master’s degree (MSc, MRes or equivalent) with a merit from a relevant course (e.g., Biological/Biomedical Sciences or similar).

To apply, email your CV (including degree marks), details of 2 referees and a personal statement (or two personal statements if you select both projects) to Dr Nicoletta Charolidi (n.charolidi@imperial.ac.uk). Your personal statement should be one-page long and include the following:

• why you are applying for this studentship
• why you find the project/s interesting
• what skill/s and experience/s you have that are relevant to the project/s

Please note that the MRC Enterprise DTP in Advanced Therapeutics can only cover home fees for non-UK students, which means that an accepted non-UK student must have secure alternative funds for covering the rest of the tuition. For any enquiries, please contact Dr Nicoletta Charolidi (n.charolidi@imperial.ac.uk).

You can find further opportunities at the Centre for Advanced Therapeutics by clicking here.