Development and Formulation of Personalized Medicines for the Treatment of Brain Tumours

Summary

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an extremely infiltrative brain cancer, impossible to fully remove surgically and almost always recurs at the borders of the resection cavity. GBM is made up of different cancer cells, which means that a multi-drug approach is required to kill off all cancer cells.  Furthermore, many drugs are unable to reach the brain as they cannot pass the protective barrier that separates the brain from the bloodstream and thus high doses of the drugs are required resulting in serious side-effects. The administration of multiple drugs will only make these side-effects worse. Therefore, to achieve the required levels of drugs in the brain and reduce/remove side effects we aim to develop an implantable device that can provide long-term, local delivery of multiple drugs directly into the brain.

This project aims to use brain tumour tissue from GBM patients to personalise treatment using a multi-drug approach.  The cells will be used to test a range of drugs for their ability to kill brain tumour cells and the genetics of the cells used to determine which combination of drugs would be most suitable for each patient. The personalised treatment will be formulated into an implant that can be implanted into the brain to provide long-term, local delivery of personalised chemotherapy for the treatment of GBM. These implants will be tailored to the treatment needs of individual patients. Therefore, they have the potential to improve the survival and quality of life for GBM patients through the personalisation, localisation and sustained delivery of treatment.

Important Information: Applications for more than one PhD studentship are welcome, however if you apply for more than one PhD project within Biomedical Sciences, your first application on the system will be deemed your first-choice preference and further applications will be ordered based on the sequential time of submission. If you are successfully shortlisted, you will be interviewed only on your first-choice application and ranked accordingly. Those ranked highest will be offered a PhD studentship. In the situation where you are ranked highly and your first-choice project is already allocated to someone who was ranked higher than you, you may be offered your 2nd or 3rd choice project depending on the availability of this project.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal
• A comprehensive and articulate personal statement

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

• First Class Honours (1st) Degree
• Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
• Practice-based research experience and/or dissemination
• Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
• Work experience relevant to the proposed project
• Publications record appropriate to career stage
• Experience of presentation of research findings

Equal Opportunities

The University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community, particularly from those with disabilities.

Appointment will be made on merit.

Funding and eligibility

This project is funded by:

• Department for the Economy (DfE)
• Vice Chancellor's Research Scholarship (VCRS)

Our fully funded PhD scholarships will cover tuition fees and provide a maintenance allowance of £19,237 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).  A Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £900 per annum is also available.

These scholarships, funded via the Department for the Economy (DfE) and the Vice Chancellor’s Research Scholarships (VCRS), are open to applicants worldwide, regardless of residency or domicile.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies.