Research projects

Here is a list of masters-level research projects offered by the Institute of Cancer Sciences recently: 

• The role of Hypoxia factor 1 alpha in the metastatic spread of cancer
• Rapid genetic engineering of human somatic cells
• Characterising the Interaction between Human Papillomavirus E2 Proteins and the Cellular Protein TopBP1
• The role of chromatin proteins in the repair of DNA damage
• The effect of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Cell cycle and DNA damage response in Glioblastoma cells
• The Epigenetic Signature of Glioblastoma Stem Cells
• The role of FOXO3a in tyrosine kinase inhibitor induced autophagy
• Investigating synergism of Mcl-1 inhibition with first-line therapies for chronic leukaemias
• The Interferon Response in Stem Cell Homeostasis
• Study of Nuclear Changes in Ras-induced Senescence
• Defining the role of CDK inhibitors in NF-kB signalling in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
• Assessment of the polo-like kinases (PLKs) in myeloid leukaemia cell lines
• Serpins as novel targets in myeloid malignancies
• Characterisation of PRC2 function in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia
• Can cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors suppress antigen-mediated survival signalling in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells?
• Use of glutathione depletion to sensitise malignant cells to chemo- and radio-therapy
• Use of novel inhibitors to sensitise malignant cells to radiotherapy
• Investigation of the genotoxic effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields
• Investigation of the potential radiosensitising effect of 2-deoxyglucose in spheroids derived from the LNCaP prostate cancer cell line.

The projects offered by individual labs are based on their latest research, so the topics of the projects will change each year. Students will be asked to rank their favourite projects, but we cannot guarantee that students will get their preferred choice. Some projects may be based in the lab, others may primarily involve data analysis.