TRACT

TRACT

TRACT - Training in Cancer Mechanisms and Therapeutics

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In 2012, 8.2 million people worldwide died of cancer, of which 5.3% or over half a million deaths were accounted for by oral and oesophageal cancer (OOC)

The European community requires early stage researchers (ESRs) trained in next-generation technologies for improved detection and treatment of oral and oesophageal cancers. The number of oral cancers diagnosed in the EU has increased by over 75% in the last 30 years, with long-term survival rates of only 50%. This is typically due to the late diagnosis of the disease and resistance to current therapies. Through the collaborative expertise of clinicians, biochemists, immunologists, and chemists TRACT will enable ESRs to discover novel insights into the molecular and cellular basis of these cancers and generate new diagnostic tools and therapeutics that improve patient response and survival. Each Institution brings unique but complementary expertise in cancer metabolism, metabolomics, high-resolution imaging, biomarker identification, computational modelling, medicinal chemistry, target validation, drug development and translational medicine. Industrial placements in five European countries will ensure ESRs receive specialised training in the development of next-generation technologies in such areas as whole genome sequencing, CRISPR technology, drug screening, exosome isolation and analysis, cancer imaging, metabolism and metabolite analysis in addition to the unique employment experience of working in the private sector. Courses in commercialisation, project management and presentation skills will ensure ESRs will have the ability to present their results to the entire cross-section of the European community, through public engagement.

Objectives

TRACT will provide ESRs with exposure to a collaborative network of European academic and industrial experts working in the complementary domains of cancer metabolism, metabolomics, high-resolution imaging, bioinformatics, biomarker identification, computational modelling, medicinal chemistry, target validation, drug development, nanotechnology and translational medicine. Although there are many researchers working on OOC in the relevant domains listed above, there is a lack of integration between domains - through a programme of integrative training and research, TRACT will bring together relevant domains to deliver better diagnostics and therapeutics for OOC with the overall aim of improving patient response and survival.

TRACT will deliver a cohort of internationally mobile cancer researchers with interdisciplinary skills who will have enhanced career prospects and be in a position to have an impact on the European and global research stage by providing new technologies that can drive entrepreneurship into the European economy and improved diagnostics and treatment options for cancer patients in Europe and beyond.

The overall aim of the research programme is to integrate basic and applied research in three related themes in order to deliver new diagnostic & prognostic tools and therapeutic approaches for patients with OOC.

During the project, TRACT ESRs will undertake novel research to:

1) Determine novel biomarkers at the protein, glycan and molecular level to enable early detection of OOC and to predict patient response to therapy.

2) Uncover the molecular basis of drug resistance in OOC leading to the identification of new drug targets and the development of novel cancer therapeutics.

3) Enhance knowledge of metabolic transformation in OOC leading to the identification of novel targets for therapeutic intervention.

TRACT Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD Fellowships

TRACT is an international, inter-sectoral, multi-disciplinary project providing Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD Fellowships to early stage researchers (ESRs) with the potential to become the leaders of tomorrow in cancer research.

» Find out more: TRACT PhD positions