Description du poste
This 4-year PhD studentship is open to both Home (UK) and international applicants. The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend at the UKRI minimum rate (currently £21,805 per year) plus £1,000/annum enhancement, and a research training support grant of up to £20,000 for the full 4-year programme. This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually, the projects that receives the best applicants will be successful. This project is expected to start in September 2027. Prostate cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in men worldwide and remains a major cause of cancer mortality. Loss of BRCA2, a protein essential for DNA repair, is associated with an aggressive disease and can confer sensitivity to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Althougth genomic testing can identify BRCA2 alterations, there is currently no reliable antibody-based method for detecting functional BRCA2 protein loss in tumor tissue. This limits spatial analysis of BRCAS expression and does not enable selecting patients for precision treatment. This project will develop molecularly imprinted polymer nano particles (nanoMIPs) as stable, reproducible synthetic alternatives to antibodies for sensing BRCA2 loss in prostate cancer tissue. The objectives are to: (1) generate high-affinity nanoMIPs against defined BRCA2 regions; (2) develop labelled nanoMIP systems for detecting BRCA2 in protein and cell-based assays; and (3) establish and validate a tissue-based assay that distinguishes BRCA2-mutant from wild-type prostate cancers. The project directly advances the Sensing the World theme by connecting biological recognition and physical sensing with quantitative interpretation and clinical decision-making. It establishes a new way of working across faculties to address a complex global health challenge while training a doctoral researcher to translate discoveries between engineering and clinical practice. Before you apply: Please contact the main project supervisor, Prof Marloes Peeters , to learn more about the project and discuss whether it may be suitable for you. To be considered for this project you must submit a formal application through our online application portal by following the instructions provided here . Please note that you must select programme FSE PhD President’s Doctoral Scholarship: If you already have an applicant account, use this link to open an application for FSE PhD President's Doctoral Scholarship . If you do not yet have an applicantaccount, follow the account setup instructions and then use this link to open an application for the correct programme. When applying, please specify the full title and supervisor/s of the project, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees. You must also upload a Supporting Statement describing your motivation to apply to the project, your CV and transcripts of awarded and in-progress university qualifications. Please note late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants are expected to hold (or be about to obtain) a minimum upper second-class undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biology or Chemistry. Research experience in polymer science, cancer biology or biosensing is desirable.