The programme will provide students with a detailed knowledge and understanding of research methods applied to rational drug design, clinical study design, molecular and cell biology, tumour immunology, genetics and cancer imaging, all of which are relevant to Translational Cancer Research. In addition, practical experience will be gained through two laboratory rotations of six months duration. DESCRIPTION Overview of subjects covered: * Biomarkers, Biostatistics and Modelling * Breast Cancer * Cancer Bioinformatics * Cancer Imaging (Optical) * Cancer Imaging (PET) * Clinical Trials and translational research * Gene discovery through to therapeutic applications * Haemato-oncology and associated genetics/genomics * Immunology of Cancers * Molecular Pathology * Signal Transduction in cancers. Project titles 2013-14: * Serum biomarkers and risk of cancer in the Swedish AMORIS dataset - Dr Mieke Van Hemelrijck * Signalling networks in cancer invasion and metastasis - Prof Anne Ridley * Analysis of signalling networks in tumours - Prof Peter Parker * Tumour associated macrophages - Dr James Arnold * Regulation of cell division and receptor degradation by the ESCRT-machinery - Dr Jeremy Carlton * Evaluation of PSK kinases as suitable targets for inhibition and the treatment of breast cancer - Dr Jonathan Morris & Prof Andrew Tutt * c-Met/ErbB imaging in non-small cell lung cancer - Prof Tony Ng * Understanding the role of c-Met targeting in improving epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-focused therapy in triple negative breast cancer patients - Prof Tony Ng, Prof Andrew Tutt & Prof Paul Ellis * Impact of impaired Notch signalling in oral squamous cell carcinoma - Prof Fiona Watt * Predictive biomarkers of resistance of head and neck cancers to radiotherapy - Prof Mahvash Tavassoli * Peptide based vaccination against tumour associated antigens - Prof Farzin Farzaneh * Genetically modified T cells against a liver tumour associated antigen - Dr Lucas Chan, Dr John Maher & Dr Philip Harrison * Mutational landscape in MDS & AML - Prof Ghulam Mufti * Understanding the effects of cancer mutations by analysing protein interaction networks - Dr Shaun Thomas * Analysis of the interaction between neoplastic B cells and the microvascular endothelium in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia - Prof Steve Devereux * Optimising multimodality treatment response assessment with imaging - Prof Vicky Goh & Prof Gary Cook * Exploring genomic instability in Triple-Negative Breast Cancers - Prof Andrew Tutt & Dr Anita Grigoriadis * Molecular pathology of breast cancer precursors - Prof Sarah Pinder * Factors affecting patient recruitment and experience in Phase 1 trials - Dr James Spicer & Dr Debashis Sarker * Circulating cell free DNA and molecular biomarkers in solid tumours - Dr James Spicer & Dr Frank McCaughan * Genetic targeting of T-cells against cancer - Dr John Maher * Identification of genes that predispose to lobular breast cancer - Dr Elinor Sawyer * Antibody drug discovery and development for cancer - Dr James Spicer & Dr Sophia Karagiannis * Changes in post-translational modifications (O-linked glycosylation) of breast cancer: The effect on tumour behaviour and immune recognition - Prof Joy Burchell * Investigation of the role of B regulatory cells in anti-tumour immunity within breast cancers - Prof Tony Ng

Future PhD studies. Clinical and non-clinical academic careers in cancer medicine.