PhD Cancer Research Sample

PhDProposaltoSupportaCancerResearch ProgramintheSchool ofPharmaceuticalSciencessample Background InIrelandalone,about30,000newcasesofcancerarebeingdiagnosedeveryyear.Thisresultstoover8,000deathseveryyear.WhilethissituationisnotreallyuniqueinIrelandalone,cancerisoneoftheprimarycausesallovertheworld,withthenumbersofindividualsbeingdiagnosedincreasingeachandeveryyear. Despitethefactthatadvancementsarebeingmadeintheareaofcancerresearchanddiagnosis,oneissuethatwillbefacedisthattheoptionsfortreatmentforacancerpatientisgenerallylimited.Thestructuredcancerresearchprogram playsa vitalrole in the education ofthe nextgeneration ofresearchers.Thenextbatchofstudentsgraduatingwillthenexperienceanenhancedopportunitytocontributeintermsofimprovingthedetection,preventionandcuresforcancer,whilemakingcanceradiseasethatismanageable.

ProjectGoal This purpose ofthis research is to educate the nextgenerationofresearchersbyprovidingsupportto5studentswhoareundertakingtheirPhDincancerresearch.Theywillbesupervised and supported by a multi-disciplinary team ofpharmacists,medicaldoctors,pharmacologists,as wellaspharmaceuticalandmedicinalchemists. Thestudentsaregiventheopportunitytohavethreetosixmonthsexperienceinthelaboratoriesofcollaborators,makingsurethattheyhaveadeepunderstandingonmultidisciplinaryclinical,academicandindustrycancerresearch.Atthesametime,thelaboratoriesarealsoprogressingtowardsthecreationofanti-cancerdrugsfortheinterestofcancerpatients. Forthisparticularproject,wewilllookintothepathologicalactivated functions and phenotype of cancer-associatedfibroblasts(CAFs)inbreasttumorscomingfrom murinemodelsaswellashumanpatientsinordertodeterminestrategiesthatwilltargetthem indeterringtumorprogression,alongwithmetastaticdissemination.

Significance DespitetheimportanceoftherolethatCAFsplayinbreastcancer,themechanismsthatregulatethemaintenanceandemergenceofpathologicallyactivatedstatusoftheCAFs,aswellastheirparticularroleininfluencingtheprogressionofbreastcancerarenotunderstoodwell.Thisresearchwillfurtherimprove our understanding behind the fundamentalmechanismsthatunderliecancerbiology,leadingtothedesignand delivery ofeffective and innovative strategies fortheprevention,diagnosisandtreatmentofcancer.ReferencesCallahan,E.,&Abe,F.(2011).MechanotransductiondependentmatrixremodelingrequiredforthecreationandmaintenanceofCAFs.NationalCellBiology,12(2),345-367.Keel,G.(2014).Imaginghallmarksbehindcancerinmice.NationalCancerInstitute,2(2),34-45.Olan,G.&Kim,S.(2010).Progressionofcancerinpolyomamiddleoncoproteinmodel,ExperimentalMedicineJournal,34(3),123-234.