Many common cancer treatments such as radiotherapy and some chemotherapy agents function by inducing DNA damage and chromosomal instability in cancer cells at high enough levels to cause cell death. However, these treatments can have severe side effects and many factors cause tumours to have resistance to them. We have observed that the nuclease Cas9, commonly used in CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering, can cause chromosome instability in cancer cells with unstable chromosomes.
In this project, the student will aim to determine whether treatment with Cas9 could have the potential to kill cancer cells, without such severe effects in normal cells. We will test this treatment in isolation or together with common chemotherapy agents and radiation. With this research, we could potentially uncover a novel therapeutic avenue to explore for the treatment of many cancer types. The student will be working with both normal and cancer cells. They will become skilled in tissue culture, cell transfection and transduction, treatment with chemotherapy drugs and radiation, and a variety of cytogenetic analysis techniques.
Candidates will have a degree in biological sciences and laboratory experience. Expertise in tissue culture, molecular biology and cytogenetics is desirable but training will be given on the specific techniques and equipment required for the project. All candidates will require good oral and written communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team and independently. They will need to become knowledgeable about the field and will become confident and proactive at designing and analysing their experiments. They will be expected to participate regularly in lab meetings and journal clubs, and to present their results at both internal and external conferences during their PhD.
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