Inorganic chaperones fused to fungal derived chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of neuroblastoma

The studentship is funded by Kidscan, children’s cancer research charity.

The studentship is fully funded and includes:

• A fee waiver
• A tax-free stipend of £14,553 for three years (2018-19 figure)
• All bench fees and consumable costs

Final date for applications: 30th June 2019
Interviews will be held in July 2019.
The candidate should be able to register at the University of Salford by 23rd September 2019.

Description
Applications are invited for a unique and cutting-edge PhD research opportunity in the multidisciplinary field of nanotechnology, for a student with a strong background in chemistry / biochemistry interested in developing drugs and drug delivery systems for cancer chemotherapy. The use of nanotechnology for drug delivery holds promise for improving current chemotherapies through: (a) site-specific targeted delivery and, (b) transcellular transport of drugs across tight epithelial and endothelial barriers.

The project will focus on neuroblastoma, which accounts for 10% of childhood cancer cases and 15% of cancer fatalities in children. Recently, metabolic products of the airborne fungus Aspergillus fumigatus have been shown to exhibit potent anti-cancer properties. Of interest, TNP470, a fumagillin analogue, was shown to prevent neuroblastoma angiogenesis, and gliotoxin, another metabolite, was shown to inhibit neuroblastoma growth. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs), which are hybrid nanostructures consisting of metal ions or clusters and organic ligands have shown promise in combination with chemotherapeutic agents. These nanostructures can be tailored to encapsulate the drug until it reaches the site of the tumour.

The candidate will work towards the design of novel fungal derived agents in combination with MOFs and test them against neuroblastoma models in vitro and in vivo. The detailed structural analysis of the synthesized MOFs will employ a variety of characterization techniques including electron microscopy and synchrotron techniques.

While the studentship will be based at the University of Salford, collaborations with the University of Manchester and Harwell Science and Innovation campus in Oxfordshire are envisaged. The successful applicant should have a background in chemistry or biochemistry and practical knowledge of at least some of the following is desirable: the synthesis of inorganic / organic materials, material characterization using spectroscopic techniques including data analysis, in vitro and in vivo characterization of drug action and degradation kinetics using a variety of instrumentations including time-lapse microscopy and HPLC.

Eligibility and desired Criteria
We are actively seeking an enthusiastic individual with:
• A 1st or 2.1 and/or postgraduate Masters qualification (MSc) in chemistry or biochemistry related areas;
• Excellent chemical laboratory skills and use of instrumentation
• Excellent mathematical skills
• A passion and enthusiasm to challenge the state of the art in nanotechnology applied to cancer treatment.