The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (Mission Bay campus) is seeking candidates for the position of Postdoctoral Fellow to undertake studies to identify and characterize therapy-induced rewiring of high plasticity state drug resistant cells within chemically induced mouse cSCCs (see Taylor, Kandyba et al Science 2024 doi: 10.1126/science.adi7453). Candidate will join a collaborative, multidisciplinary team and will have the opportunity to conduct both basic and translational research.
This project will address a major problem in clinical oncology, namely the identification of critical drivers for development of cancer drug resistance. Most tumors develop resistance to almost every type of therapy, including targeted-, radiation-, chemo- and immunotherapy, ultimately resulting in cancer deaths. Some pathways pivotal to development of drug resistance have been identified using in vitro approaches, with a core of factors that are shared regardless of the organ site, tumor type, or therapeutic.
We will address mechanisms of resistance to both chemotherapies and immunotherapy, and compare data generated from the mouse with tumor material from patients undergoing such therapies for their cancer, specifically unresectable or metastatic cSCCs of the head and neck region. The approaches we are taking include in vivo drug dosing of primary carcinomas that are induced in situ by chemical carcinogenesis, We will examine anti-tumor drug efficacy and molecular responses to therapy by undertaking transcriptomic analysis, flow cytomtery/CYToF analysis for immune cell composition, and multicomponent spatial analysis (Xenium and multi-IFC). Comparison with human SCCs undergoing treatment, and with use of different treatment modalities will be made. Transcriptional signatures that define high plasticity drug resistant states will be generated by metagene analyses (doi: 10.1126/science.adi7453). Combinatorial drug treatments and/or CRISPR/Cas technology will be utilized to explore vulnerabilities of these drug resistant cell states to drug combinations or combinatorial gene KO.
The candidate must have an advanced degree and experience in one or more of the following areas: molecular and cellular biology, in vivo mouse models of cancer, biocomputational approaches to gene expression analysis, CRISPR Cas9 screens They will join a collaborative, multidisciplinary team and will have the opportunity to conduct both basic and translational research.
The ideal applicant will have recently obtained a PhD using small animal models of cancer, and have a strong track record of publications, teamwork, and collegiality. Such a person would be encouraged to apply for post-doctoral fellowships as part of their individual career development plan and they will receive strong mentorship.
To apply for the Post-doctoral fellowship and for more information: contact Rosemary Akhurst at [email protected]. Please send 1) your Curriculum Vitae, 2) statement of research interests, and 3) the names of 3 references to Dr. Rosemary Akhurst at [email protected]
Organization Details
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center brings together scientists and clinicians from many disciplines to collaborate on virtually every aspect of cancer – understanding the basic biology, identifying risk factors and finding the best ways to control or prevent the disease. Armed with new insights into the molecular basis of cancer, UCSF scientists are pursuing some of the most innovative and exciting research happening today. The results of their work could lead to earlier detection, improved drug therapies, and, ultimately, a dramatic increase in survival rates and patients’ quality of life.