Stabilisation of D type Cyclins (CyclinD) is the underlying cause of a wide range of majorly debilitating disorders including cancers, overgrowth syndromes and epilepsies. When abnormalities in a cell lead to sustained levels of CyclinD, those cells are unable to exit the cell cycle resulting in continued, uncontrolled, cell proliferation.
The focus of this scholarship is to identify and characterise small molecules that uniquely bind each CyclinD, and perturbs their interaction with CDK4 in order to ‘switch-off’ abnormal cell proliferation. Promising molecules will be characterised further to determine where exactly they bind to each CyclinD and how they prevent CDK4 binding. It is hoped that the molecules identified will have therapeutic potential to treat CyclinD stabilisation disorders.
The aims of the scholarship are to:
• Express and crystallise the CyclinD2-CDK4 complex in order to solve its structure.
• Perform a phage display screen for each CyclinD to identify unique binding affimers.
• Characterise the affimers identified using structural and cell based models.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious PhD researcher with a strong interest in structural, molecular and cellular biology. Training will be available from the supervisors and their research groups.
Environment
You will be based at the St James’ University Hospital campus in the Division of Molecular Medicine, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds and at the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology on the University of Leeds main campus.
We hope to commence study for this project on 1 April 2021, but there is flexibility for the right candidate. The latest start date for this award is 1 August 2021.
Eligibility
You should hold a first degree equivalent to at least a UK upper second class honours degree in a relevant subject. This project would suit someone with a strong background in structural and/or molecular biology.
Candidate whose first language is not English must provide evidence that their English language is sufficient to meet the specific demands of their study, the Faculty minimum requirements are:
• British Council IELTS - score of 6.5 overall, with no element less than 6.0
• TOEFL iBT - overall score of 92 with the listening and reading element no less than 21, writing element no less than 22 and the speaking element no less than 23.
How to apply
To apply for this project applicants should complete a Faculty Scholarship Application form and send this alongside a full academic CV, degree certificates and transcripts (or marks so far if still studying) to the Faculty Graduate School at [Email Address Removed]
We also require 2 academic references to support your application. Please ask your referees to send these references on your behalf, directly to [Email Address Removed]
For further information about the application process please contact the Faculty Graduate School [Email Address Removed]
For queries relating to the scholarship project please contact Dr James Poulter [Email Address Removed]
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