Role of cancer associated fibroblasts in regulating T cell function in cancer.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and triple negative breast cancer remain one of the deadliest cancers for which more effective therapies are urgently needed. A characteristic of both breast and pancreatic cancer is that they are surrounded by a variety of non-cancerous cells called stromal cells that include fibroblasts and cells from the immune system, and a dense extracellular matrix, which form what is known as the tumour stroma. In breast and pancreatic tumours, the stroma can represent up to 60-90% of the tumour mass and is not a simple bystander. In fact, we and others found that the stroma can support tumour progression, metastasis and drug resistance.
The ability of the immune system to identify and kill tumour cells is a natural and extremely effective defence mechanism to fight cancer. However, tumours exploit several mechanisms to evade the immune response. Stromal cells can shape the immune response against cancer via the release of soluble factors. Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant stromal cell type, and they are known to interact with the immune cells but the mechanism(s) by which CAFs regulate the immune response in cancer remain unclear.
Project Aims:
The overall goal of this project is to gain a better understanding of how CAFs regulate the immune response in cancer in order to develop more effective therapies to restore an effective anti-tumour immune response against cancer.

We offer:
You will join a vibrant cancer research laboratory which is part of the North West Cancer Research Centre, Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, and the Institute of Translational Medicine at the University of Liverpool. Our research group has a long standing interest in studying the tumour-stroma interactions in cancer. You will learn the necessary skills from senior researchers of the team to ensure high quality training and you will meet with your supervisor Dr Ainhoa Mielgo, at least once a week, to design and troubleshoot experiments, to analyse and interpret data, and to discuss future directions of the project. This PhD project provides exceptional opportunities for the student to benefit from diverse expertise and to be exposed to cutting edge technologies that we have already established.

We expect (Qualifications and Experience):
It is expected that you will be a highly motivated individual with an interest in learning and applying your research skills to an exciting project. Applicants should have a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a relevant subject (i.e. cancer biology, molecular biology, and/or biomedical sciences) and some experience of working in a laboratory. You should be highly motivated to pursue a PhD training and should be able to work individually and also as part of a team. You will also be expected to generate good quality rigorous data to make them available to the society and advance scientific knowledge via publications in peer-reviewed journals.

For students whose first language is not English, the University’s minimum requirements are the IELTS test with a minimum overall score of 6.5, and no less than 5.5 in each of the sub-tests (reading, writing, speaking and listening) or an equivalent qualification which can be found here https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/international/apply/english-language/

Interviews will take place on the week of the 22nd July

Anticipated starting date of project: 1st September 2019

How to apply:
Please send the following documents as a single PDF file to [Email Address Removed]

1. Cover letter
2. CV
3. Names and contact details of three references

Dr Ainhoa Mielgo, email [Email Address Removed] or visit: www.mielgolab.org.
If you do not hear from us within 2 weeks after the deadline please assume that you were not selected for an interview.