Ph.D. Project – Fully financed
Enhancing the Biological Benefit in vivo to Improve Radiotherapy
Call for applications for a fully financed PhD fellowship
Project description
The research project for the position falls within the topic of radiobiology for proton therapy, and will be supervised by Professor Brita Singers Sørensen. The project is funded by the Danish Cancer Society.
FLASH is a novel radiotherapy modality for cancer where the treatment is delivered at ultra-highdose rates about 1000 times faster than in conventional radiotherapy. It has received massive attention since pre-clinical FLASH studies have shown remarkable sparing of normal tissue, with unaltered tumor response, when compared to conventional dose rates (CONV). If the differential normal tissue sparing is confirmed broadly, FLASH may become a new leading cancer treatment modality with substantially reduced side effects.
The aim of the project is to supply preclinical data to answer some of the fundamental biological questions on how FLASH can be used clinically. The FLASH effect will be tested in well-established in vivo models for normal tissue damage and tumor response. The influence of oxygen level in both normal tissue and tumor will be investigated by manipulating the oxygen content in the tissue before irradiation. This will be done by either clamping the blood supply (decreasing oxygen concentration) or using oxygen delivery modulators (increasing oxygen concentration). It will also be investigated how radiosensitizers are impacting the FLASH effect in both normal tissue and tumors.
The project is based on at the Danish Centre for Particle Therapy (DCPT) and at the Department of Experimental Clinical Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital.
The PhD program includes PhD courses (in total app. ½ year), writing scientific articles and the PhD thesis, teaching and disseminating your research, active participation in scientific meetings etc. Further details on the PhD program can be found here: http://phd.health.au.dk/doingaphd/
The project will take place in the experimental particle radiobiology research group of Professor Brita Singers Sørensen at Aarhus University. The research group is embedded in the joint oncology research environment at Aarhus University Hospital, at the Danish Center for Particle Therapy and Department Experimental Clinical Oncology. The research environment is well-established and of highest international standard, with research activities in radiation oncology bridging translational and clinical research. More than 30 PhD students and postdocs and more than 10 senior full-time researchers are working in this inspiring environment.
Qualifications
The applicant must have:
- Master degree in biology, biotechnology, medicine, engineering, molecular biology, physics or similar
- Fluency in English (oral and written)
- Analytical skills and ability to work independently on a project basis
- Research interests and ambitions for excellence in experimental biology
- Prior experience with experimental animals will be an advantage
How to apply
Please submit your application via this link. Application deadline is 28 February 2024 23:59 CET. Preferred starting date is: 1 April 2024.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Further information
Please contact Professor Brita Singers Sørensen, bsin@onology.au.dk for more information.
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.