About this role
Primary supervisor - Prof Mark Searcey
One of the key problems in the development of new anticancer agents is specificity. How do you get the compound to the site of action in the body and avoid the side effects that are often seen with classical cancer drugs? Over the years there have been a number of approaches to developing targeting methods. We have previously used peptides to generate molecules known as peptide-directed conjugates (PDCs) (similar to antibody-directed conjugates or ADCs) to direct molecules to their target. In order for these targeted agents to be effective, the drugs being targeted must be extremely potent and are often natural products that, on their own, are too toxic to be used. In this project, we will use synthetic chemistry, both in solution and on solid phase, to design and develop new PDCs that have potent antitumour activity and are targeted at particular cancers. The PhD student will have and will develop skills in synthesis but will also work at the interface with biology, and will take their newly designed and synthesised compounds into cellular models of disease. The project would particularly suit a student who has an interest in working in synthetic medicinal chemistry at the chemistry/biology interface.
This PhD project is in a competition for a Faculty of Science funded studentship. Funding is available to UK applicants and comprises ‘home’ tuition fees and an annual stipend for 3 years. The current UEA/institutional PhD stipend rate is £19,814, and will be subject to any agreed inflationary uplift for 2026/27.
Entry requirements The standard minimum entry requirement is 2:1 in Chemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Science.
Mode of study Full-time
Start date 1 October 2026