Dissecting mechanism of drug responses to novel anti-cancer therapies

Repurposing drug screens with compounds that have already gained FDA approval can accelerate the identification of new therapies to treat an illness and in the cancer setting extend life or provide compassionate care. This research project will focus on investigating the mechanism of drug action for novel interacting compounds to identify new therapeutic strategies to treat ovarian and breast cancer cells from existing FDA approved drug libraries. Research will focus on evaluating the pharmacology of drug responses and elucidation of the underlying tumour characteristics associated with a good/poor response to these drugs. In this PhD, we will employ routine cell and molecular biology techniques to study the drug responses in cancer cell models. You will gain experience in RNAi and protein over-expression techniques, the study of intracellular signalling and a variety of in vitro assays to measure key hallmarks of tumorigenesis and drug responses in cancer cell lines and primary cultures. Novel results will be tested in in vivo models and/or clinically relevant samples.

Applicants should have a 1st or 2.1 honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. Relevant subjects include Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biochemistry, Biological/Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering, or a closely related subject. Students who have a 2.2 honours degree and a Master’s degree may also be considered, but the School reserves the right to shortlist for interview only those applicants who have demonstrated high academic attainment to date.

The project will provide hands-on training for the student in the following:

· Cancer cell culture · Drug toxicity analysis · Drug binding kinetics · Real time monitoring of cell proliferation and migration · Assays to measure cell viability and apoptosis · Protein, RNA and DNA isolation methods · Gene expression and Protein detection methods · A thorough understanding of cancer biology

Working as a PhD will also provide the following training:

· Oral and poster presentation skills · Working as part of a team · Project management: Planning and organising experiments, time management · Teamwork · Data analysis · statistical analysis

This research aims to provide evidence to support novel drug combinations/drug repositioning in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer.

Home applicants must meet the following academic criteria:

1st or 2.1 honours degree in a relevant subject. Relevant subjects include Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biochemistry, Biological/Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

International applicants must meet the following academic criteria:

IELTS (or equivalent) of 7.0, a 2.1 honours degree (or equivalent) and a master’s degree in a relevant subject.

Applicants should apply through the University's Direct Application Portal: https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/user/u_login.php