PhD studentship in Cancer Research – Role of retrotransposons in hepatocellular carcinoma origin and progression – potential biomarker and therapeutic target?

This project will focus on ‘the role of retrotransposons in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)’.

Cancer is a genetic disease resulting from accumulation of mutations and associated genetic instability in cells. HCC is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, owing to a lack of understanding of the key factors driving its progression, as well as limited treatment options. Recently retrotransposons have received much attention in the field of cancer and have been demonstrated to be active in various tissues including liver, colon, ovarian, prostate and lung cancer. Contribution of active retrotransposons in increasing genetic instability and overall transcriptome of cells is well documented. We hypothesise that activation of retrotransposons can be used as an early biomarker of HCC and they can prove as important therapeutic targets for control and management of HCC. The student will characterise relationships between levels of retrotransposons activation and HCC tumour grade, stage and outcome in human subjects and animal models of HCC. The student will also explore the mechanisms of activation of retrotransposons in HCC and impact of inhibition of retrotransposons activation on HCC outcome or progression.

The project will provide a broad grounding in contemporary techniques relevant to basic and translational cancer research, becoming familiar with the development and validation of targeted anti-cancer therapy. He/she will be trained by experienced personnel in cell culture, tumour and tissue handling, protein extraction and purification, western blotting, immunohistochemistry, FACS, gene-editing and gene expression analyses. Training will also be given in data handling, processing, interpretation and statistical analyses.

Eligibility Criteria: You must have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree in biomedicine or a related area. A further qualification such as an MSc or MRes is advantageous.

This award is available to UK/EU applicants and international students. If English is not your first language, you must have IELTS 6.5 or equivalent.

All applicants should complete the University’s postgraduate application system www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply.
To do this please ‘Create a new account’.
Include the following information:
•programme code 8300F
•select ‘PhD in the Faculty of Medical Sciences – Cancer Research’ as ‘programme of study’
•insert the studentship code 01MREA
•attach a covering letter and CV, including studentship reference code 01MREA
•attach degree transcripts and certificates and a copy of your English language qualifications if appropriate