Molecular Cancer Studies MPhil – (M.Phil.)

The MPhil is a one-year research degree where students get the opportunity to study a specific research project. The MPhil degree can act as a stand-alone degree for applicants who would like to gain experience in a specific area, or can be linked to a PhD programme. Rather than register on a direct entry 3 or 4 year PhD, some postgraduates may first register on a one-year MPhil programme. Subsequently students may then wish to transfer on to a full PhD programme with a further 2 or 3 years of study.
The central feature of cancer is that cells fail to respond appropriately to their local environment. By discretely assimilating a variety of extracellular signals, normal cells undergo tightly controlled proliferation and their differentiated fate becomes established. Cancer cells behave very differently, disrupting tissue homeostasis which ultimately compromises the whole organism. Mutations in oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes, a process fuelled by acquired genomic instability, allows cancer cells to divide in the absence of proliferative signals, ignore anti-proliferative stimuli and evade apoptotic cues. Blood supplies become hijacked and adjacent normal cells are coerced; positional information is ignored leading to tissue disorganisation, invasion of the surrounding stroma, and metastasis. Understanding the signalling and cell cycle networks that go awry during tumour evolution, and how cancer cells then manipulate their microenvironment, requires in-depth knowledge of many basic biological processes. Members of the Molecular Cancer Studies group are actively engaged in building this knowledge, which is an essential first step towards developing novel therapeutic strategies.