Background
Ewing sarcoma is an aggressive bone cancer that primarily affects children and young adults. While outcomes have improved for some patients, those who relapse face extremely limited treatment options and poor prognosis. There is a clear and urgent need to develop more effective therapeutic strategies.
This PhD project will tackle one of the key barriers to progress: understanding why promising drugs—particularly tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs)—work well in some cases but fail in others.
What you will do
- Explore TKI responses using Ewing sarcoma cell models and clinically relevant systems
- Develop and utilise advanced human-mimetic bone tumour models
- Investigate tumour–immune interactions and immune-mediated drug responses
- Apply a range of techniques, including flow cytometry (FACS), ELISA, qRT-PCR, histology, and molecular imaging
- Analyse patient-derived samples from ongoing clinical trials to validate your findings
Training and environment
This project offers a highly interdisciplinary training experience, spanning cancer biology, immunology, and translational research. You will gain expertise in cutting-edge in vivo modelling, immune profiling, and biomarker discovery.
You will be based within a collaborative research environment at the University of Manchester and The Christie, working alongside leading scientists and clinicians in sarcoma research and experimental cancer medicine.
Why this project matters
By uncovering the mechanisms behind TKI sensitivity and resistance, this research has the potential to:
- Enable more precise and effective use of existing therapies
- Identify new biomarkers to guide treatment decisions
- Improve outcomes for patients with relapsed Ewing sarcoma
This is a unique opportunity to contribute to research that could directly influence future clinical practice and address a critical unmet need in cancer treatment.
Ideal candidate
Applicants with a background in biomedical sciences, cancer biology, or a related discipline, with an interest in translational research and a desire to make a tangible impact on patient outcomes.
