Overcoming immune cell exhaustion in head and neck cancer

About this project

Help change outcomes for those with head and neck cancers

If you are ready to launch your career in cancer immunology, and passionate about developing innovative therapies to treat head and neck cancers and other solid tumours, the University of South Australia – Australia’s University of Enterprise – is offering a hands-on project-based PhD with significant community impact within the Centre for Cancer Biology (CCB).

Head and neck cancer (HNC) poses a significant global health challenge, with over 450,000 deaths annually. Current treatments severely impact patient quality of life and are inadequate, with about half of patients having their cancer recur within two years. Boosting anti-cancer immune responses has revolutionised the treatment of many cancers and has great potential to enhance outcomes in HNC. We have an exciting opportunity to develop new immunotherapies for pre-clinical testing in HNC.

T cells are immune cells which are critical for effective immune responses against cancer, but in HNC tumours, most T cells are exhausted and dysfunctional which limits their ability to directly kill cancer cells. Using high-resolution spatial transcriptomics, we have recently identified a new immunoregulatory axis of T cell function in cancer that involves inflammatory pathways normally associated with allergic immune responses. Allergic inflammation manifests as strong, aberrant responses to antigens in the environment, but how this kind of immune response influences cancer progression remains poorly defined. We have exciting evidence that allergic-type immune responses can be very effective at improving anti-tumour T cell responses in some conditions, and we will use this knowledge to refine T cell cancer immunotherapies. 

You will have the opportunity to receive training in computational analysis of spatial transcriptomics and single cell RNA sequencing data which will enable us to reveal inflammatory networks underlying treatment-resistant cancer with a focus on how T cell dysfunction is conditioned in the tumour microenvironment. This project will also include analysis of the epigenetic programming of exhausted T cells and test strategies to reprogram these tumour T cells, reinvigorating them and enhancing their ability to target and destroy cancer cells. We utilise primary human tissue taken from tumours of patients undergoing surgery, as well as using mouse tumour models.

By improving our understanding of how T cell responses are controlled in HNC and developing new therapeutic strategies, we aim to increase the ability of a patient’s T cells to fight their cancer. Long-term, this could lead to more personalised and effective treatments, with the aim of increasing survival and quality of life for HNC patients.

You will be based within the CCB. This world class Centre offers you access to and training with sophisticated equipment, facilities and resources. Our research team produces cutting edge research that is designed to translate to clinical practice for maximum impact. You will benefit from their leadership and guidance and close collaboration with both researchers and clinicians.  

What you’ll do

In this project-based research degree, you will, under supervision, use mouse models of HNC to isolate and study tumour-infiltrating T cells. You will perform in vitro reprogramming of tumour-derived T cells to test their restored efficacy. Finally, you will validate findings with human patient specimens to ensure relevance and potential for clinical application. You will also have the opportunity to learn bioinformatics and analyse cutting-edge data from carefully selected clinical cohorts.

Our project is expected to lead to multiple significant outputs and you will be supported to submit to peer-reviewed journals. There will also be opportunities for you to present at national and international conferences in both immunology and cancer fields.

Where you’ll be based

You will be based at the CCB, which is a Medical Research Institute that carries out a world-class program of innovative research, making breakthrough discoveries in the fundamental causes of cancer, and translating these discoveries into new ways to prevent and treat this group of diseases.

The CCB is an alliance between SA Pathology and the University of South Australia and boasts the largest concentration of cancer research in South Australia, currently hosting 22 full-time research group leaders and their teams.

CCB laboratories carry out research in leukaemia, breast cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer, brain cancer and colon cancer, focusing in the specialised areas of gene regulation, molecular signalling, translational oncology and cancer genomics. In addition to these laboratories, our ACRF cancer Genomics Facility is providing access to state-of-the-art genomics research equipment, computing technology and bioinformatics expertise to the Adelaide BioMed Precinct and the wider research community.

Translation of new discoveries into clinical practice is strengthened by the co-localisation of the laboratories within a single Institute, as well as its proximity and close collaboration with the Royal Adelaide Hospital, the University of South Australia, the University of Adelaide and SAHMRI.

The CCB also has alliances with leading pharmaceutical companies to rapidly exploit new discoveries. The Institute aims to be a hub of internationally recognized cancer research excellence, achieving tangible outcomes for cancer patients.

The CCB is a member of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI). Financial Support  

This project is funded for reasonable research expenses. Additionally, a living allowance scholarship of $35,200 (2025 rate) per annum is available to Australian and New Zealand citizens and permanent residents of Australia. Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants will be eligible to receive an increased stipend rate of $52,352 (2025 rate) per annum. A fee-offset or waiver for the standard term of the program is also included for this group. For full terms and benefits of the scholarship please refer to our scholarship information. International applicants will not be eligible to receive the scholarship.

Eligibility and Selection 

This project is open to applications from both Domestic and International applicants.

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria for entrance into a PhD. Additionally applicants must meet the project selection criteria: 

• describe the extent of your wet-lab experience with cancer and/or immunology techniques

All applications that meet the eligibility and selection criteria will be considered for this project. A merit selection process will be used to determine the successful candidate.

The successful applicant is expected to study full-time and to be based at our City West Campus in the heart of Adelaide. Note that international students on a student visa will need to study full-time.

Essential Dates 

Applicants are expected to start in a timely fashion upon receipt of an offer. Extended deferral periods are not available. Applications close on Friday 10 January 2025.