This master project is part of a a Centre of Excellence at UiO, the Centre for Cancer Cell Reprogramming
Background:
Cancer causes approximately 10,000 deaths annually in Norway. Due to cancer research, we are continually gaining new knowledge that contributes to better diagnosis and treatment. Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer in bones and connective tissue. There are about seventy different subtypes of sarcoma, and the sarcoma patients are often young with generally poor prognosis. The treatment usually involves a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. These treatments can be painful with significant side effects, and unfortunately, they are not always effective. The lack of detailed knowledge about heterogeneity in sarcoma cell types, the lack of biomarkers, as well as difficulties in determining the grade of malignancy, may prevent effective and personalized treatment. More research is needed in this area.
Project:
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a soft tissue cancer that annually affects three to six Norwegian children (Cancer Registry of Norway). Paediatric cancers have generally lower mutation burden and deregulation in epigenetics and transcription are important contributors to tumour progression (Chen et al., 2024). It is known that changes in gene expression can contribute to cancer development, and it has been shown that epigenetic factors can influence such changes. It is also known that cancer-promoting factors can affect gene expression through epigenetic modifications. In the Chromatin Biology group, we aim to increase the molecular knowledge on rhabdomyosarcoma. We focus on identifying epigenetic factors involved in the development of rhabdomyosarcoma. We will in this project set up different screens with an epigenetic drug library or CRISPR-Cas9 library to identify dependency on epigenetic factors in rhabdomyosarcoma patient cell lines and a tumoroid cancer model(Zhan et al., 2019). With this project, the master student will contribute by a detailed study of epigenetic dependency factors that can ultimately make a difference for children with this serious cancer type in the future.
Methods:
The student will participate in setting up different screens. Moreover, the student will learn protein purification, mammalian tissue culture including culture of tumoroids, various molecular and immunological methods such as cloning, transfection, western blotting, immunofluoresence and confocal imaging. The student will apply CRISPR-Cas9 and knockdown of target genes (RNAi/CRISPRi/degron system) and expose patient cell lines and spheroids to epigenetic drugs.
About you:
We are looking for a driven, enthusiastic and hardworking student. You should be motivated to learn, have good collaborative skills and be involved in developing new methods. An interest in microscopy is essential.
About us:
During this master project you will be part of our Chromatin Biology Group. You will learn to make good scientific presentations, have creative discussions and will be able to attend national scientific retreats as a part of a young active ambitious research group. You will be participating in a Centre of Excellence “Centre for Cancer Cell Reprogramming” at UiO and part of the master project will be at the Medical Faculty, UiO. We will also train you in good scientific writing.
To learn more about our lab visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yADYLbFEo4&feature=youtu.be
We have many years of experience in wet lab training for a successful completion of a master thesis project.
References:
Chen, X., Yang, W., Roberts, C.W.M., Zhang, J., 2024. Developmental origins shape the paediatric cancer genome. Nat Rev Cancer 24, 382–398. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-024-00684-9
Zhan, T., Rindtorff, N., Betge, J., Ebert, M.P., Boutros, M., 2019. CRISPR/Cas9 for cancer research and therapy. Seminars in Cancer Biology, Translational Cancer Genomics 55, 106–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcancer.2018.04.001