Ref PAR 2023/930

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Doctoral position in Medical Science

Project title: Investigating mechanisms of action of combinatorial ALK treatments in neuroblastoma employing ALK-driven mouse models 

The Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell biology, is located at the Institute of Biomedicine at the Faculty of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.

General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university’s doctoral student pages https://medarbetarportalen.gu.se/doktorand/?languageId=100001&skipSSOCheck=true    

Duties   

The PhD education in Medical Science comprises carrying out a scientific project and completing at least 30 credits of courses at third-cycle level. The doctoral student must also write a scientific compilation thesis or monograph corresponding to at least 120 credits. For more information about third-cycle studies at Sahlgrenska Academy, see https://www.gu.se/en/sahlgrenska-akademin/doctoral-studies

Project: The Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) plays a key role in many developmental processes, and has also been studied in cancer contexts in Drosophila, zebrafish and mouse models. This has been important in our understanding of ALK in human pathology, where aberrant ALK activation leads to neuroblastoma (NB) and other cancers. Neuroblastoma (NB) is a cancer of early childhood that arises from the developing sympathetic nervous system and, despite its relative rareness, accounts for 15% of childhood cancer mortality. Primary NB tumors occur in sympathetic neural tissue, most commonly arising in the vicinity of the adrenal medulla, but how and why the tumors arise is poorly understood. In pediatric tumors, such as NB, the underlying developmental processes are considered to be involved, underscoring the importance of understanding this process as it proceeds normally. Although NB is ‘mutation poor’, mutations occurring in ALK provide an actionable clinical target, employing tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

In this proposal the PhD student will work to understand how a combination of ALK/ATR inhibition is therapeutically effective, to maximize the potential of these findings for clinical benefit in NB patients. The project builds on two important pillars: (1) our expertise in ALK signaling and the unique mouse models of ALK-driven NB that we have generated, and (2) our recent identification of a combination treatment with ALK and ATR inhibitor that leads to complete and sustained tumor depletion in genetically modified mouse NB models. The PhD-project will employ ALK-driven cell and genetic engineered modified mouse models (GEMM) to evaluate our recently identified ALK/Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) kinase inhibitor combination treatment in high-risk NB. This will employ DNA, single cell RNA and protein ‘omics’ technologies together with bioinformatics and wet-lab validation to explore the effect of ALK/ATR on NB tumour development. Specifically, the project entails a deep exploration of ALK/ATR combination therapy for ALK-positive NB and investigating RAS resistance in relapsed ALK-positive NB.  

It is desirable that the candidate has a background in oncology/cancer research and/or data analysis. Furthermore, strong ability to communicate orally and in writing in English is necessary. The candidate is expected to collaborate closely with other members of the team, therefore good time management and communication skills are important.

Education at third-cycle level comprises four years of full-time study, and leads to a doctoral degree.  As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.    

Eligibility   

Education at third-cycle level requires general eligibility and specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.  

The general eligibility requirements for education at third-cycle level are:    
1. having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or
2. the fulfilment of course requirements totalling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or  
3. the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.  
 
Specific entry requirements for this subject, according to the general syllabus, are: 
having completed the English B/6 course or is considered to have acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies. 

Assessment criteria   

The selection of applicants who are considered to have the ability required to benefit from the study programme and who meet the general and specific eligibility requirements are assessed based on the following documented qualifications:- specific knowledge and skills within the subject area and related research fields
– experience of scientific theory and relevant research methodology
– scientific analysis and presentation verified through thesis, degree project, scientific journals or the like.    

Employment   

Once you have been admitted for education at third-cycle level, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg. The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100. Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time. A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at third-cycle level for four years.   

Location: Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell biology. Extent: 100%. First day of employment: as agreed.

The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.   

Contact information 

For more information about the project please contact the supervisor,
Anne Uv, Professor, Institute of Biomedicine, e-mail: anne.uv@medkem.gu.se

Unions 

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here:   
https://www.gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande     

Application   

You can apply to be admitted for education at third-cycle level via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.   

You must include the following, in pdf format

• Personal letter
• CV
• Diploma and transcripts showing that you meet with the general entry requirement
• Proof of completion of English 6 course or the acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies

If your degree is from a university outside of Sweden, make sure that you attach a diploma and full transcripts that makes assessing your degree easier.  

If your degree has not been verified by a Swedish authority you need to provide contact details to the issuing university, registrar or similar, that can verify the degree at our request.

For information on what you need to submit in order to fulfill the English language requirement see https://www.universityadmissions.se/en/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/

Applications must be received by: 2023-09-11

Information for International Applicants 

Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit: 

https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services 
https://www.movetogothenburg.com/ 

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.
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