VACANCY: Enterprise DTP iCASE Doctoral Training Programme studentship
Project title: Developing advanced mass photometry methods for analysis of the multi-step helicase loading process
Lead supervisor: Christian Speck
Funding: EPSRC
Start date: October 2021
Duration: 3.5 years
Date posted: 12 November 2020
Closing date: 07 January 2021
The student will use and develop a novel single-molecule biophysical method (mass photometry) to investigate a key step in DNA replication, the loading of the replicative helicase on DNA, and explore this multi-step reaction in a time resolved manner. This work will address how DNA replication works and contribute to the development of helicase loading inhibitors as a potential anti-cancer therapy.
The project is a collaboration between Refeyn Ltd and the Imperial College London research groups of Christian Speck and David Rueda. Refeyn, a company based in Oxford, has recently developed and brought to market a breakthrough technology that measures the molecular weight of individual proteins and protein complexes by mass photometry. This revolutionary biophysical technique is highly-accurate, very fast, label-free and allows the use of native proteins.
The group of Christian Speck, which includes seven postdocs, three PhD students and two technicians, applies a range of biochemical, structural, proteomic and genetic/genomic approaches in order to investigate DNA replication and chromatin structure. The Group works in a highly collaborative way and provides PhD students with a multidisciplinary learning environment. Applicants that interested in genome stability and method development and have a good background in biochemistry or biophysics are strongly encouraged to apply.
Interested candidates can contact Christian Speck directly for more information.
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