Terapias Antitumorales Dirigidas - Búsqueda candidato predoctoral

Dr. Anna Massaguer and Dr. Sílvia Barrabés from Targeted Antitumour Therapies group at the University of Girona are looking for a candidate to carry out their Ph.D. thesis within the framework of a FPU contract funded by the spanish Ministry of Universities.

Our project is is focused on the development of antitumor drugs that exert a powerful therapeutic action on cancer cells with minimal side effects on healthy tissues. To this end, our objective is to develop drugs that allow the combination of two promising therapeutic strategies: photochemotherapy (or light-activated therapy) and targeted chemotherapy (to transport of antitumor agents to cancer cells by molecules with overexpressed receptors in tumors).

The topic of the PhD thesis will focus on obtaining new peptides based on growth factors, rationally designed to inhibit tumor growth, and on their use as target agents for new active compounds in photochemotherapy. Specifically, different peptides will be designed using computational chemistry, they will be produced and their biological activity will be characterized. The antitumor activity of new organometallic compounds designed as new compounds for photochemotherapy will also be analyzed and the effectiveness of conjugating them to carrier peptides will be studied, both in terms of antineoplastic activity and selectivity.

Application: Please send e-mail to silvia.barrabes en udg.edu with your CV and motivation letter.

Specific Requirements
To apply for FPU grant, the candidate must fulfil some requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences finished after January 1, 2016.
- Student of the last course of Master degree (or recently finished), that enables to access doctoral studies.
- Average marks (out of 10) greater than 8 (Bachelor) and 8.5 (Master)
- Excellent score is required, as being a highly competitive call.
- Do not held a predoctoral contract for more than 24 months.
See FPU fellowship call for more details. Please, applicants with degrees performed outside Spain should carefully chek the criteria for their eligibility.
http://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano/catalogo/general/99/998758/ficha/998758-2020.html#dc

Skills Requirements
Motivation for biomedical research. Medium - high level of English, capacity for teamwork, responsibility and critical capacity. The desire to experience research in other groups, national or international.

Benefits
FPU contract lasts 4 years: 1,160.43 euros per month for the first two years, 1,243.32 euros per month in the third year and 1,554.15 euros per month in the fourth year. Each year, 12 monthly payments and two extraordinary payments will accrue.

Eligibility criteria
Bachelor and Masters average marks are very important since this is very competitive call.

Web site for additional group details
https://www.udg.edu/ca/grupsrecerca/Bioquimica-del-cancer