Barry Reed/Barts Cancer Institute funded PhD studentship: Determining the Contribution of Non-random Chromosome Missegregation to Clonal Evolution in Cancer

We are inviting applications for the following PhD studentship, funded by Barry Reed & Barts Cancer Institute.

This studentship is open to graduates from the UK/EU with either:
- a 2:1 or 1st degree in a related subject; or,
- a 2:2 in a related subject with a subsequent MSc awarded with Merit or Distinction
If your degree has not yet been awarded, but you are expected to meet the above entry requirements you are welcome to apply.

Our research training programme aims to develop a cohort of scientists equipped both intellectually and technically to conduct the highest quality cancer research.

Our research degrees are supplemented by a comprehensive support programme, providing training in a wide range of biomedical laboratory methods and other vital transferable skills.

You will be based at the beautiful Charterhouse Square campus in the heart of London.


Project Outline:

Aneuploidy – the wrong number of chromosomes – is rife in solid tumours and blood cancers. Mechanisms driving aneuploidy in cancer are notoriously difficult to determine, however our previous work demonstrated a role for DNA replication stress in promoting cancer aneuploidy (Burrell* and McClelland* et al., Nature 2013). Until recently it was thought that all human chromosomes carry an equal likelihood of becoming aneuploid, however we recently excitingly discovered that specific chromosomes are more prone to aneuploidy. We have demonstrated that this phenomenon, ‘non-random chromosome mis-segregation’ occurs following at least two major mechanisms proposed to drive aneuploidy in cancer, with specific aneuploidy landscapes arising as a consequence of mechanistically distinct pathways to chromosome mis-segregation. We are now in a position to determine how chromosome-specific mutation rates impact clonal evolution of cancer genomes. The successful student will couple cell biological and novel imaging techniques to mathematical modelling to ask fundamental questions about the impact of chromosome-specific rates during clonal selection, with potential impact for the future analysis and interpretation of genomic data from cancer patients.

For more information, including details on how to apply please see our website:
https://www.bci.qmul.ac.uk/study-with-us/postgraduate-research/barry-reed-bci-funded-phd-studentships