Research Fellow

The UCL Cancer Institute (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/cancer/) is the hub for cancer research at University College London, one of the World’s leading universities. The Institute draws together over 400 talented scientists who are working together to translate research discoveries into developing kinder, more effective therapies for cancer patients.

The aim of this post is to develop the first immunocompetent mouse model of human T-ALL by: 1) generating synthetic T-ALL with defined genetic lesions in human haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), 2) engrafting HSCs from the same donor into immunodeficient mice for humanised haematopoiesis, 3) introducing the synthetic T-ALL.

About the role

This role will be based in the Maciocia laboratory at UCL Cancer Institute, with additional supervision from Professor Marc Mansour. The postholder will further develop a model of synthetic human T-ALL and for the first time apply this in an immunocompetent setting. The post will involve molecular cloning, lentiviral production, HSC isolation and manipulation, complex analysis using flow cytometry, RNA-seq and other tools. There will a large component of murine work involved in establishing, validating and testing the model. There is a substantial focus on development and testing of new immunotherapies for T-ALL, with a focus on CAR-T.

The post is funded for 24 months in the first instance.