Unravelling the roles and underlying mechanisms of perineural invasion in tumour microenvironments

Project Summary:
Perineural invasion (PNI) is a mechanism by which tumour cells invade the space surrounding a nerve and is associated with poor prognosis in cancer patients. It is hypothesized that PNI is a consequence of a complex multi-step process where malignant cells, peripheral nerves and stromal cells cooperate to drive processes such as neurotropism, extracellular matrix remodelling and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Although relevant biomarkers of PNI have been identified with the advance of sequencing technologies, how their dynamics induce such processes in different types of cancers is yet to be investigated. This project focuses on deploying multi-omic approaches to uncover innervation patterns, molecular profiles, and dynamic changes in the tumour microenvironment of cancers characterized by PNI to shed light on its potential molecular mechanism.

Deliverables:
data analysis report and poster presentation.

Preferred discipline(s):
Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Statistics

Project Essential Skills:
R programming

Other Selection Criteria (if any):
N/A

Details of supervision arrangements:
Lab work required, hybrid mode (weekly progress meeting required)