A studentship is available to study estrogen receptor fusion proteins to understand how their hyperactivity drives breast cancer. This is a multidisciplinary project which will provide excellent training opportunities across cancer cell biology, advanced cellular imaging and biochemistry.
Over 70% of breast cancers are Estrogen Receptor (ER) positive. The ER drives changes in gene expression in response to hormones and is a critical therapeutic target. Genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer, leads to genomic rearrangements which generate ER fusion proteins. These proteins are hyperactivity and are a recurrent finding in aggressive, therapy-resistant breast cancer.
This project will unravel how hyperactivity occurs and how it may be regulated using a combination of advance cellular imaging, gene expression assays and protein biochemistry. Completion of this project will provide a framework for guiding future therapeutic interventions and aid the diagnosis of patients carrying these hyperactive fusion proteins.
You will be part of a new multidisciplinary collaboration between Dr. Chris Toseland (Dept. of Oncology and Metabolism in Sheffield www.toseland-lab.com Twitter: @chris.toseland) and Prof. Mark Leake (Dept. of Physics in York https://www.york.ac.uk/physics/people/leake/). The team has an excellent background in using multiple advanced microscopy approaches to study the regulation of DNA-protein interactions.
You will join a collaborative, supportive research community in Sheffield, with world-leading single molecule and nucleic acid research centres and an active, friendly and lively PhD student cohort, which hosts regular social events alongside networking and career development opportunities. You will also be part of the Physics of Life Group at York which provides a multidisciplinary network of experts linking physical and life sciences.
We are committed to supporting the career development of our students, encouraging attendance at both international and UK meetings, conferences and training courses to develop your research skills and interests.
We encourage applications from a diverse range of scientific backgrounds e.g. biomedical sciences, Cancer biology, biochemistry and biophysics. Interested applicants should contact Chris Toseland to discuss the project: [Email Address Removed]
Benefits of being in the DiMeN DTP:
This project is part of the Discovery Medicine North Doctoral Training Partnership (DiMeN DTP), a diverse community of PhD students across the North of England researching the major health problems facing the world today. Our partner institutions (Universities of Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, York and Sheffield) are internationally recognised as centres of research excellence and can offer you access to state-of the-art facilities to deliver high impact research.
We are very proud of our student-centred ethos and committed to supporting you throughout your PhD. As part of the DTP, we offer bespoke training in key skills sought after in early career researchers, as well as opportunities to broaden your career horizons in a range of non-academic sectors.
Being funded by the MRC means you can access additional funding for research placements, international training opportunities or internships in science policy, science communication and beyond. See how our current DiMeN students have benefited from this funding here: http://www.dimen.org.uk/overview/student-profiles/flexible-supplement-awards
Further information on the programme and how to apply can be found on our website:
http://www.dimen.org.uk/how-to-apply/application-overview
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