Project: Investigation of novel CAR-T targets for adult Glioblastoma (GBM)

Project: Investigation of novel CAR-T targets for adult Glioblastoma (GBM)

Primary supervisor: Dr Claire Roddie

Secondary supervisor: Prof. Simona Parrinello (Secondary)

This is a 4-year PhD studentship funded by CRUK City of London, which covers tuition fees at the UK rate and a stipend of 21000 per year. The start date for this studentship is September 2022. 

Please note, you must be eligible for Home Fees status to be eligible for this studentship.

Closing date: 15th September 2022

Description

GBM is the most common primary brain tumour in UK adults with 2,200 new cases each year. It remains incurable with little improvement in clinical outcomes over the last 4 decades. Experimental approaches have not significantly improved overall survival (OS) to date.

A CAR is an artificial T-cell receptor which grafts the specificity of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) onto a T-cell, ‘redirecting’ it to recognise tumour cells and kill them. Clinical trials have shown that CAR T-cells can eliminate certain cancers in patients where chemotherapy has failed, and a significant proportion of patients appear to be cured of their cancer by a single dose. Furthermore, unlike chemotherapy, CAR T-cells form part of the immune system, giving the patient ‘immunity’ against his cancer. To date, CAR T-cells have shown greatest activity in blood cancers. However, the UCL group has conducted work suggesting that CAR T-cells can be applied to solid tumours.

Through this project, the candidate will have an opportunity to validate novel targets for CAR-Ts in GBM (in collaboration with Simona Parrinello’s lab), design and test next-generation armoured CARs to improve efficacy in GBM, as well as develop patient-derived state-of-the-art models to permit CAR-T testing in the preserved GBM tumour microenvironment.   

This unique project is an excellent opportunity for a junior scientist with an interest in cellular immunotherapy to spend time in one of the largest CAR programmes in the world.

For more information and to apply, please click here.