4 Year GTA - Metal Complexes as Nucleic Acid Delivery Vehicles for Cancer Stem Cell Therapy

About the Project

Open to UK applicants only

The School of Chemistry has fully-funded Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) studentships available for UK applicants, starting in September 2026.

The opportunities allow successful candidates to pursue their passion for research in the chemical sciences, alongside developing their skills as chemistry lecturers and educators of the future. This includes working toward gaining recognition as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

The GTA involves laboratory demonstrating and other teaching responsibilities in term time, with approximately 80% of your time dedicated to research across the calendar year. These are 4-year positions that include an annual stipend and salary package, full UK tuition fees, and a research and training grant.

Project Highlights

• Synthesis and characterisation of phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes
• Determine the photophysical and biophysical properties of the phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes
• Conduct biological studies in cancer stem cell systems to determine efficacy of the iridium(III) complexes as miRNA delivery vehicles, and elucidate the mechanism of action of the iridium(III) complexes

Description

Despite significant advances in cancer therapy, fatal incidences of tumour recurrence are still common. Cancer relapse is strongly related to the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), a sub-population of cancer cells defined by their ability to self-renew, differentiate and form secondary and tertiary tumours.[1] Due to their remarkable differentiation and self-renewal capacity, CSCs display resistance to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Standard drugs coupled with surgery effectively reduce tumour mass; however, residual CSCs remain and trigger tumour regrowth. Therefore, to eradicate cancer and prevent its recurrence, chemotherapeutics must have the ability to remove the entire population of cancer cells, including CSCs. Therapeutics capable of selectively killing CSCs and disrupting the microenvironment (niche) supporting these cells are the subject of intense current research, however, there is still no clinically approved drug that specifically removes CSCs.

The goal of this project is to synthesise water soluble, iridium(III) complexes with branched polyamine backbones capable of delivering miRNA into CSCs. miRNA are small noncoding RNAs typically 20-28 nucleotides in length that have been shown to play a role in RNA-silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in CSCs.[2] miRNAs that can inhibit the translation of protein(s) involved in the maintenance and regulation of CSCs will be selected for delivery. Specifically, miR-199a and miR-200a will be delivered as they target proteins critical for cell migration and metastasis (namely, CD44, ZEB2, and CD133) in certain CSCs.[3,4] In addition to miRNA delivery, the inherent photophysical properties of the iridium(III) complexes will enable bio-imaging, and thus, validation of delivery. This project is highly multidisciplinary, and will involve chemical synthesis and characterisation, photophysical and biophysical methods, mono- and 3D-layer cell culture, and sophisticated biologicals techniques. Examples of the methods to be undertaken can be found in the references below.[5-8] In the short-term this project will extend the boundaries of medicinal inorganic chemistry by combining nucleic acid chemistry and photophysics with metallodrug development to delivery therapeutically active miRNAs to CSCs. The long-term outcomes of the project could lead to new strategies that can achieve extended tumour remission in cancer patients.

Project enquiries please email Dr Kogularamanan (Rama) Suntharalingam k.suntharalingam@leicester.ac.uk

Application enquiries to Dr Richard Doveston r.g.doveston@leicester.ac.uk(Postgraduate Admissions tutor for the School of Chemistry)

To apply please refer to the application advice and use the application link at https://le.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/funded-opportunities/chemistry-gta

Start 21 September 2026

Funding Notes

GTA Studentships provide funding for 4 years to include:

• Tuition fees at UK rates
• A combined teaching and stipend payment (for 2026/7 this will be £21,805 per year, paid in monthly instalments)
• Research training support grant (RTSG)