Dissecting different T cell death signatures in oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma to discover new cancer immune-evasion strategies
Closing date: 15/11/2024
Non-Clinical Studentship Project: Dissecting different T cell death signatures in oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma to discover new cancer immune-evasion strategies
Lead Supervisors: Dr Sara Valpione
Co-Supervisors: Dr Florent Mouliere, Dr Alexandra Clipson, Dr Steven Hill, Dr Seva Makeev, Prof. Wasat Mansoor
Applications Deadline: Friday 15th November 2024
Interviews: Friday 17th January 2025
Non-Clinical Studentship start date: September 2025
Project Keywords: Oesophagogastric cancer, T cells, Liquid biopsies
Research Opportunity: Non-Clinical Studentship leading to the award of PhD
Project Outline
Immunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of cancer bringing significant and durable benefit to patients. However, many patients with cancer do not respond to immunotherapy and can suffer significant side effects. Therefore, the discovery and clinical implementation of biomarkers that could predict and monitor a patient’s response are highly sought after and a critical unmet medical need.
This project, based within the CRUK National Biomarker Centre (NBC) at the University of Manchester that has an international reputation for their research on liquid biopsies (blood test). The project will be led by the CRUK NBC clinician in residence Dr Sara Valpione and Dr Florent Mouliere, lead of the NBC nucleic acids biomarkers team and will explore the regulation of T cell death and how this could lead to the development of a new blood test to optimise the use of current and next generation immunotherapies. If this sounds exciting to you please join us at the NBC to push the boundaries of multimodal liquid biopsies supported by the our world class team of biomarker specialists.
Applications for this project are now open. Please complete your application on The University of Manchester website.
About Dr Sara Valpione (project Lead Supervisor)
Dr Valpione is an early career clinical academic specialising in T cell biology in cancer. Her work led to the discovery that T cell death during immunotherapy predicts response to treatment and contributed to the identification of new liquid biopsy strategies. In addition to this, Dr Valpione discovered that the repertoire of tumour infiltrating T cells is a predictive biomarker of response to immunotherapy and is now developing a new multiscale precision nanomedicine to deliver nucleic acid immunotherapeutics to oesophagogastric cancer patients.
Key information
Before submitting an application, please ensure you have read the information below about the funding arrangements and eligibility for Non-Clinical Studentships.
We also encourage you to get in contact with the lead supervisor to discuss the project and any particulars.
Further information is available on the Non-Clinical PhD Studentships webpage.
Our Non-Clinical PhD Studentships are usually funded for four years, with funding covering:
- Project running costs
- University tuition fees university tuition fees (at the UK rate, with some scholarships available for high-performing EU/International candidates)
- An annual stipend of £21,000 to help with living costs
Studentships are highly competitive and so we encourage you to contact any supervisors who you are interested in working with before applying for our Non- Clinical PhD Studentships.
International Candidates
The University of Manchester aims to support the most outstanding applicants from outside the UK.
We are able to offer a limited number of bursaries to high-performing EU and international candidates, covering PhD fees only. Bursaries do not include financial support for visa/health surcharges.
We assess each EU and international candidate’s suitability for a bursary at the application and interview stages.
You must hold, or be about to achieve, a First or Upper Second-class honours degree in a relevant subject. A related Master’s degree is also an advantage.
International applicants (including EU nationals) must ensure they meet the academic eligibility criteria (including English Language) before contacting potential supervisors to express an interest in their project. Eligibility information can be found on the University’s Country Specific information page.
Key dates
- Applications open: 11th October 2024
- Application deadline: 15th November 2024
- Interviews: 17th January 2025
- Start date: September 2025
Useful Links
Submit your application
Interested in applying for this opportunity? Go to The University of Manchester website to submit your application.
Non-Clinical PhD Studentships
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