Tumour Treating Electric Fields for Non-invasive Treatment of Brain Cancer

这个奖学金是为了让研究生加入我们的多学科研究小组，研究一种新的安全的脑癌治疗方法。毕业生将攻读更高的学位，目标是在三年内获得博士学位。治疗方法包括使用低强度电场，这种电场已知可以防止癌细胞不受控制的分裂。这种治疗方法如果得到优化，可能会彻底改变胶质母细胞瘤等致命脑肿瘤的治疗方法。它也可能扩展到其他类型的癌症。目前，美国已经批准了一种治疗方法（见https://www.optune.com/），并与化疗药物一起使用，以减缓癌症的进展。该项目的目的是最大限度地发挥电场的功效，从而使化疗药物变得不必要。为了实现电场的优化，我们目前正在探索对普通果蝇（果蝇）卵内细胞的影响。这些细胞比人类癌细胞分裂得快得多，因此可以在高分辨率显微镜下直接观察分裂过程。该项目是由工程、计算和数学学院（SECaM）、半岛医学院和我们的工业合作伙伴Zimmer & Peacock有限公司合作完成的。该项目将涉及电子产品、电场电极系统和石墨烯传感器的设计和开发。您还将获得行为分析，免疫组织化学，荧光蛋白表达和共聚焦显微镜的经验。

This studentship is for a graduate to join our multi-disciplinary research group investigating a new safe treatment for cancer of the brain. The graduate will enrol for a higher degree aimed at achieving a PhD within three years. The treatment involves the use of low-intensity Electric Fields which are known to prevent the uncontrolled division of cancer cells. This treatment, if optimised, could revolutionise the treatment of fatal brain tumours such as Glioblastomas. It may also extend to other types of cancers. Currently, a treatment is already approved in the USA (see https://www.optune.com/) and used together with chemotherapy drugs to slow down the progress of the cancer. The aim of this project is to maximise the efficacy of the Electric Fields so as to render the chemotherapy drugs unnecessary. To achieve optimization of the electric fields we are currently exploring the effect on cells inside the eggs of the common fruit fly (Drosophila). These cells divide much faster than human cancer cells so allowing direct observation of the dividing process under a high-resolution microscope. The project is in collaboration between the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (SECaM), Peninsula School of Medicine and our industrial partner Zimmer & Peacock Ltd. The project will involve design and development of electronics, electric field electrode systems and graphene sensors. You will also gain experience of behavioural assays, immunohistochemistry, expression of fluorescent proteins and confocal microscopy.