A chemical biology approach to the identification and development of inhibitors of the RAS/RAF protein-protein interaction

Interviews will be held in April 2016

PhD Description: Mutants of the small GTPase RAS are the most common activating lesions found in human cancers, and directly associated with poor response to therapy. RAS-driven cancers are among the most difficult to treat and often unresponsive to traditional therapies. The purpose of this project is to identify and develop compounds that selectively inhibit the interaction between RAF kinase and mutant forms of NRAS. This protein-protein interaction is upregulated by activating-mutations of NRAS and is known to be required for the tumorigenesis, and the maintenance of established tumours. This studentship will be associated with a related Cancer Research UK funded programme; the successful candidate will benefit significantly from the existing expertise and resources of this collaborative programme.

The Tavassoli research group (http://www.personal.soton.ac.uk/ali1/web/index.html) is a multidisciplinary team of chemical biologists, synthetic chemists, molecular biologists and cell biologists, with state of the art facilities at the University of Southampton. The project will involve a variety of techniques at the interface of chemistry and biology including cloning, peptide synthesis, protein expression and biophysical analysis. Prior experience with some of these techniques is desirable but not essential; the successful candidate will be trained in the various techniques required for the project throughout the PhD.