Investigating the epigenetic regulatory protein CBX2 as a novel therapeutic target for advanced cancer

Applications are invited for an exciting 3-year fully funded University of Hull studentship in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, to commence in Autumn 2021.   

The studentship will be supervised by Dr Mark Wade and Dr Pedro Beltran-Alvarez and aims to investigate the function of the epigenetic regulatory protein CBX2 in advanced and aggressive forms of cancer. The studentship will build on previous work undertaken in Dr Wade’s group to validate CBX2 as a novel therapeutic target. The studentship will benefit from collaborative links with Newcastle University, University of Manchester and University of Leeds.

Epigenetics is a term describing the control of gene expression via chemical modification of DNA and histone proteins. CBX2 is a member of polycomb repressor complex 1 (PRC1), which is a histone modifying protein complex that regulates expression of target genes. CBX2 gene expression is upregulated in metastatic and aggressive sub-types of cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer and castrate-resistant prostate cancer, both of which have poor prognoses, in part, due to a lack of effective personalised and targeted treatments. Despite the known association between CBX2 and cancer the direct regulatory mechanism of CBX2 in aggressive disease is largely unknown. Understanding the function and mechanistic properties of CBX2 is crucial to validate its potential as a therapeutic target for aggressive cancer types with major un-met clinical need.

The studentship will use cutting edge genomic and proteomic techniques to investigate the DNA binding profile and protein-protein interactions of CBX2 bound to chromatin in translationally relevant models of breast and prostate cancer in order to determine its regulatory function. Sophisticated phenotypic assays will also be used to investigate the requirement of CBX2 for growth and survival of aggressive subtypes of cancer. 

Find out more

 Dr Wade is a Lecturer in Genetics in the department of Biomedical Sciences with over 10 years of research experience in the field of cancer genetics, epigenetics and therapeutic target validation. Dr Wade’s research interests are mainly focused on epigenetic mechanisms in cancer, in particular breast and prostate cancer and glioblastoma, and on proteins which regulate the chemical modification of histones to control chromatin structure and gene expression. The ultimate aim of the epigenetic research group is to further understand the biological mechanisms which underpin epigenetic regulation in cancer and identify new epigenetic therapeutic targets to treat cancer.

Dr Beltran-Alvarez is a lecturer in Biomedical Sciences with extensive experience studying protein post-translational modifications in cardiovascular disease and cancer. Dr Beltran-Alvarez leads the Brain Tumour Research Group, which Dr Wade is also a member of, and has expertise in proteomic analysis.

More details are available on the University of Hull website.

Entry requirements

We welcome applications for this funded 3-year PhD studentship, to start in September 2021.

You should have a good first degree (at least a 2:1 Honours degree) in a relevant subject. A Masters degree in a relevant area is desirable but not essential.

This scholarship is not open to candidates who have already obtained a PhD.

 International applicants

This scholarship opportunity is open to UK-based candidates only. 

How to apply

To apply for this project, visit the University of Hull scholarships webpage.

The deadline for applications is 17.00 on Friday 7^th May 2021. Interviews will take place during week commencing 24^th May 2021.