Zamasa-Foundation-PhD-Scholarship-in-Multiple-Myeloma

Based at the St Vincent’s Clinical Campus of School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW and at Garvan Institute of Medical Research, the project is suitable for candidates with a scientific background or interest in furthering medical research. The successful candidate will work with Dr Georgia McCaughan and Professor Peter Croucher.

The PhD project will focus on multiple myeloma, with an emphasis on understanding the role of the bone marrow microenvironment in controlling disease progression in myeloma. The research will explore mechanisms driving disease progression and relapse, while also investigating novel therapeutic strategies and new approaches to treating myeloma bone disease.

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research has an international reputation in cancer cell plasticity and dormancy and cancer associated bone disease. The project would be developed with the candidate within these research areas. Using novel techniques including two-photon intravital imaging, single cell transcriptomics and machine learning, we are defining the cellular and molecular control of dormant cancer cells, including understand the role of the bone microenvironment in this control, elucidating mechanisms of reactivation and relapse, and identifying potential therapeutic strategies to prevent relapse. The team has also identified critical molecular pathways responsible for myeloma related bone disease and is developing new strategies for treatment. The team has a strong translational pipeline to develop and test novel agents in experimental systems and in clinical trials in the clinic.

Scholarship