Novel Compounds for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

At present there are no effective drugs for pancreatic cancer treatment. (+)-Grandifloracin has been shown to be a promising anti-austerity agent, able to suppress several pancreatic cancer cell lines to tolerate conditions of nutrient deprivation. However, it is extremely difficult to prepare in enantiomerically pure form and current methods only allow for side-chain diversification. Our new technology (described in preliminary format in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, e202205278) will enable, for the first time, significant diversification of the core structure, enabling rapid biological screening for new treatments. Importantly, this approach can deliver gram quantities of material in high enantiomeric purity. Hence, we have devised three converging objectives for the project spanning chemistry and biology outlined below: i) Synthesis of Grandifloracin analogues to explore chemical space. ii) Establish a Structure-Activity-Relationship (SAR) map against PANC-1 cell lines. iii) Identification of most active compounds from above and further synthesis and SAR screening. The research project will be focused on Organic Chemistry in the Synthesis Research laboratories and will provide training in modern organic chemistry techniques, working alongside PhD students and post-doctoral members of the Buckley Group. The project student will also be exposed to and trained in the biological screening techniques required to assess the compounds of interest. 94% of Loughborough’s research impact is rated world-leading or internationally excellent. REF 2021

The standard University IELTS English language requirement is 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each individual element (reading, writing, listening and speaking).

International students: £29,500

UK students: £5,238

UK/Home: £5,238

International: £29,500

July 2026, October 2026, February 2027, July 2027

April 2027

• Loughborough, United Kingdom