Primary supervisor: Prof Yaroslav Khimyak
Why this matters:
Understanding mechanism of action of cancer therapeutics is a considerable challenge, which is pertinent for the development of new targeted cancer therapies. We have developed nano-delivery platforms including gold-nanoparticles, micelles, liposomes and nano-porous silicas – all these have been used for novel cancer therapeutics. However, very limited knowledge is available about the interactions at the nano-platform and cellular compartment interfaces. In this project you will assemble novel nano-therapeutics and investigate how such cancer nano-delivery systems will interact with biological membranes in breast cancer cells.
The project:
This project will focus on the understanding of mechanism of cellular uptake of nano-cancer therapeutics. The main hypothesis will explore how specific carbohydrate decorated nanoparticles show differential entry into breast cancer cells based on mapping of interactions between nanoplatforms and cancer cell membranes.
What you will do/learn:
* Synthetic and material science: assembly of nano-platforms with specific functionalities and model bio-membranes and characterisation using advanced analytical techniques.
* Biological tools: cell culture; working with breast cancer cell lines; immunofluorescent labelling, flow cytometry; fluorescent time-lapse and confocal microscopy; bioassays
* Spectroscopy: cutting-edge advanced NMR for understanding interactions at cell interfaces.
* Translation: understanding of the finding in context of design of new cancer therapeutics.
* Transferable skills: work as part of a team, presentation and communication skills, project and time management.
Project team:
This project is supported by Big C and the Faculty of Science at the University of East Anglia and will provide a unique training environment based on the synergies the expertise of analytical, medicinal and physical chemists, cancer biologists and clinicians to enable new routes for nanotherapeutics treatments based on the targeted delivery to breast cancer cells. The project will be undertaken in the School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology and you will be jointly supervised by Khimyak, Marin, Sobolewski, Field (from UEA) and Mishra (NNUH) teams—collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and hands‑on.
Who should apply:
We welcome applicants with backgrounds in synthetic chemistry, structural biology, pharmacology, biophysics, materials science, or related fields. Some experience with NMR or other advanced structural tools is a plus, and you should enjoy working across disciplines and learning new techniques.
The environment:
You will join the Norwich Research Park—one of the UK’s largest concentrations of life scientists—with outstanding facilities and training. The skill set you will build spans nanoscience, cell and molecular biology, cancer therapeutics, biophysics and NMR spectroscopy—preparing you for careers in academia or industry.
Interested?
Informal enquiries are encouraged: Prof Yaroslav Khimyak (y.khimyak@uea.ac.uk) or any member of the supervisory team.
Entry requirements
The minimum entry requirement is 2:1 in Chemistry, Pharmacy, Pharmacology, Biological Sciences, Chemical Engineering.
Mode of study
Full-time
Start date
1 October 2026
Additional Funding Information
This PhD project is funded for four years by Big C with a contribution of £50,000 supported by the John & Pamela Salter Charitable Trust. Funding includes tuition fees at Home‑fee rate, an annual tax‑free maintenance stipend, and £1,000 per annum to support research training.
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