PhD Studentship in Prostate Cancer - Refining Human Prostate Tissue Culture Techniques for Better in Vivo Mimicry and Therapeutic Insights

Award summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and an annual stipend (living expenses) starting at £19,237 (24/25 rate). International candidates are required to fund the difference between home fees and international fees.

Overview

Interested in learning how to develop novel human-derived cancer models to advance cancer research? This project will develop a human-derived prostate cancer model to test novel therapies. 

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males. A major deficiency in prostate cancer research is the lack of model systems that accurately reflect the disease in a patient. By culturing human prostate tissue in the laboratory, we aim to overcome this problem and provide an accurate model of in vivo human prostate cancer growth to pre-clinically test novel therapies. 

In this PhD, you will iteratively test physical and environmental culture conditions to improve tissue longevity and improve in vivo mimicry. You will test several novel therapies in the optimised model providing an exciting opportunity to translate basic science to potential patient impact.    

You will become an expert in ex vivo tissue culturing, histopathology and downstream tissue processing methodologies whilst being part of the Urology Research Collaborative, composing of basic scientists and clinicians with international reputations, within the Newcastle Cancer Centre.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: 15^th September 2025

Award duration: 4 year PhD

Sponsor: NUCancer 

Supervisors:

Dr Coffey, Biosciences Research Institute 

Professor Oakley, Translational and Clinical Research Institute 

Eligibility criteria

You must have, or are expected to achieve, at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent, in an appropriate subject, including: biomedical sciences, biochemistry, molecular biology. Holding an MRes/MSci would be advantageous.

The studentship covers “home rate” fees. International/EU applicants must cover the difference between home and international fees.

Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each subsection. International applicants may require an ATAS (academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme.

How to apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal.

In the ‘Course choice’ tab:

• Select ‘Postgraduate Research’ in the 'Type of Study' field  
• Select ‘Full Time’ in the ‘Mode of Study’ field  
• Select ‘2025’ in the ‘Year of Entry’ field  
• Enter programme code 8420F in the ‘Course Title’ field  
• Leave the ‘Research Area’ field blank  
• Press ‘Search’  
• Select ‘PhD Biosciences (FT)’  
• Save selection  

In the ‘Further Details’ section:  

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form, quoting the studentship reference code BI093, stating the title of the studentship, how your interests and experience relate to the project.  
• The studentship code BI093 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field  
• When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’, and type in the title of the research project from this advert (No need to upload a research proposal). 

In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section:

• Upload your CV

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application. 

Contact details:

Dr. Coffey
Biosciences Institute
Email: kelly.coffey@newcastle.ac.uk

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