We offer a fully funded 4 year Ph.D position (FPI) at the Cell and Tissue Mechanobiology lab at Biofisika Institute (Bilbao) under the supervision of Ion Andreu.
The research will focus on understanding the role of karyopherins in nuclear mechanotransuction during breast cancer invasion in vitro. Mechanical forces transmitted through the extracellular matrix or by neighbor cells maintain homeostasis in tissues. Deviation from mechanical homeostasis has long been associated with disease progressions, such as liver fibrosis, atherosclerosis, and cancer. It is well stablished that tissue stiffening promotes the malignant phenotype, and that mechanical activation of cell promotes invasion in breast cancer. At the molecular level, among other effects, mechanical forces control the localization of key cancer transcription regulators and regulate gene expression in breast cancer. However, we are only starting to understand the complexity of mechano-molecular regulation.
Building up from our previous research, this project aims to unravel force-driven molecular regulation in breast cancer invasion. For that, we will combine molecular biology with biophysical techniques and cutting-edge microscopy. Training on any of these fields will be offered.