MRC DTP BIOMED

Current PhD Projects

Southampton

QMUL

The table below lists all current iPhD/iCASE projects at Southampton sponsored by both the MRC DTP and other funders. As iPhD students undergo MRes training with three rotational projects in their first year, these are not listed here.
Research ThemePhD Project TitlePhD SupervisorFaculty/SchoolCohort Start DateFunding
Reproductive Cell BiologyCan endometrial gland structure and function help us understand why some women are more at risk of miscarriage than others?Jane ClealMedicine/Human Development and Health2023WMR/Rosetrees
Stem Cell BiologyUncovering the drivers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression using patient derived organoidsNicole PriorMedicine/Human Development and Health2023BSR
Neurodegenerative DiseasesInvestigating the function of SLC15A3: a promising gene linked to Alzheimer’s diseaseDiego Gomez-NicolaMedicine/Clinical and Experimental Sciences2023MRC-DTP
Neurological DiseasesNew chemical approaches to improve A-to-I RNA editing with the aim of restoring sight loss associated with oculocutaneous albinism (OCA)Ysobel BakerMedicine/Clinical and Experimental Sciences2023MRC-DTP/IfLS
Neurodegenerative DiseasesStudying the role of environmental factors on microglia in Alzheimer’s Disease using human brain organoids.Diego Gomez-NicolaMedicine/Clinical and Experimental Sciences2023MRC-DTP
CancerInvestigating the role of NK-innate immune cell interactions in oesophageal cancer.Matthew BluntMedicine/Cancer Sciences2023MRC-DTP
CancerInvestigating the genomic structure, regulation and function of the low affinity
FCGR cluster to improve cancer immunotherapy.
Jane GibsonMedicine/Cancer Sciences2023WMR/CITF
CancerInvestigating the association between Crown Like Structures and body composition parameters on the tumour-immune microenvironment in high risk breast cancer.
Constantinos SavvaMedicine/Cancer Sciences2023CRUK/CITF
CancerIdentification and validation of novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of esophageal adenocarcinomaDean BryantMedicine/Cancer Sciences2023University of Southampton
CancerInvestigation into the role of NKG2A in CAR-T and CAR-NK cell activation against lymphomaMatthew BluntMedicine/Cancer Sciences2023CRUK/CITF
Cancer ImmunologyThe effect of existing immune memory on CD8+ T cell responses to in situ cancer vaccinesEdd JamesMedicine/Cancer Sciences2023CRUK/CITF
Cancer ImmunologyInvestigating the structure:function relationships of a novel human myeloid checkpoint receptor (LILRB3) and its specific immunomodulating monoclonal antibodiesAli RoghanianMedicine/Cancer Sciences2023MRC iCASE
Immunity & InfectionDetermining the modes of action and application for antimicrobial mix metal complexes in the presence of biofilms.Sandra WilksEnvironmental and Life Sciences/Biology2024MRC iCASE
CancerTherapeutic targeting of hypoxia inducible factors to augment anti-cancer antibody immunotherapyMatthew CarterMedicine/Cancer Sciences2024MRC iCASE
Immunity & InfectionNext generation light controlled antimicrobials with “on-off” activity for the treatment of wound infectionsMatthias BaudEngineering and Physical Sciences/Chemistry2024MRC iCASE
Immunity & InfectionA multi-disciplinary study into air pollution-associated transition metal homeostasis
in the lungs		Matt LoxhamMedicine/Clinical and Experimental Sciences2022MRC-DTP
CancerUnderstanding the immune microenvironment in rhabdomyosarcoma using a fully non-animal 3D model to test novel alternative treatments.Zoë WaltersMedicine/Cancer Sciences2026MRC iCASE
Immunity & InfectionExploring the function of exosomes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis host-pathogen interaction, and their effect on infection outcomeLiku TezeraMedicine/Clinical and Experimental Sciences2022MRC-DTP
Regenerative MedicineDeveloping an antimicrobial release strategy using nanoclay gels to treat osteomyelitisJon DawsonMedicine/Human Development and Health2022MRC iCASE
Immunity & InfectionRapid Detection of Human Pathogens in Ocular Surface Infectious DiseaseParwez HossainMedicine/Clinical and Experimental Sciences2026MRC iCASE
CancerAPOBEC3A-mediated RNA editing as a source of cancer antigens: A proof-of-concept studyTim FentonMedicine/Cancer Sciences2022Oddfellows
CancerDeciphering the role of GABAergic signalling in tumour vascularizationYury BogdanovMedicine/Cancer Sciences2022WMR/CITF
CancerUnderstanding and improving the mechanisms of action of antiGD2 chemo-immunotherapy in NeuroblastomaJuliet GrayMedicine/Cancer Sciences2022WMR/CITF
Neurological DiseasesUnderstanding the response of human microglia to disease-specific Tau conformersDiego Gomez-NicolaMedicine/Clinical and Experimental Sciences2025MRC-DTP
Cancer/BioinformaticsTransforming Public Single-cell Omics Data into Accessible Models for Enhanced Prediction and Understanding of Gene Regulation and Underlying Networks Across Cell Types and Species.Owen RackhamMedicine/Cancer Sciences2025MRC-DTP/IfLS
Neurological DiseasesLinking micro-scale genome topology and macro-scale nuclear architecture during neurodevelopment and diseaseEmily BrookesMedicine/Clinical and Experimental Sciences2025MRC-DTP
CancerInvestigating epithelial MHC-class II expression and anti-tumour immunity in lung cancerChris HanleyMedicine/Cancer Sciences2025WMR/CITF
CancerIdentification of cancer neoantigen T cell receptor reactivity in oesophageal adenocarcinoma.Samuel Luke HillMedicine/Cancer Sciences2025MRC iCASE
Cancer ImmunologyOptimising B7-H3 CAR-iNKT cell therapy for solid tumoursSalah MansourMedicine/Cancer Sciences2025CITF
Cancer ImmunologyEngineering off-the-shelf CAR therapies for optimal targeting of AML cellsAli RoghanianMedicine/Cancer Sciences2025MRC iCASE
Neurological DiseasesMolecular mechanisms of epigenetic priming after early life adversity.Emily BrookesMedicine/Clinical and Experimental Sciences2024MRC-DTP
CancerInvestigating Metastases and the Lymph Node Microenvironment in Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma.Dean BryantMedicine/Cancer Sciences2024MRC-DTP
Cancer/ChemistryDevelopment of boronic acid prodrug-hydrogel conjugates to improve pancreatic cancer chemotherapy.George WilliamsMedicine/Cancer Sciences2024MRC-DTP/IfLS
CancerMolecular mechanisms of high-risk Splenic Marginal Zone lymphoma.Jon StreffordMedicine/Cancer Sciences2024CRUK
CancerEstablishing 3D culture model systems to study how inflammation subverts control of cell fate during carcinogenesis.Tim FentonMedicine/Cancer Sciences2024WMR/CITF
CancerTargeting myeloid cells for improved antibody immunotherapyMark CraggMedicine/Cancer Sciences2024CRUK
CancerExtending the chemical space of mAb based cancer treatment with DNA nanostructures.Sean LimMedicine/Cancer Sciences2024MRC-DTP/IfLS
BioinformaticsMultimodal foundation models for the functional interpretation of the molecular basis of diseasesOwen RackhamMedicine/Cancer Sciences2024University of Southampton
CancerAnalysing the impact of differential antibody-mediated clustering of members of the TNF receptor superfamily.Matthew CarterMedicine/Cancer Sciences2025CITF
CancerInvestigating the regulation of APOBEC3A in human cancersTim FentonMedicine/Cancer Sciences2025CITF