Development of a chemical tool to characterise new therapeutics in cancer

Aminopeptidase N (APN) is a zinc-dependent protease responsible for hydrolyzing terminal neutral amino acids from peptides across multiple cellular systems and has emerged as a new therapeutic target in cancer. It plays critical roles in both tumour and normal cells, influencing processes such as cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis, meaning that development of tools to differentiate between normal APN tumour APN is important.

The student would build upon previous work by advancing the development of peptide–probe conjugates as the first specific activatable fluorescent probe that selectively responds to tumour-associated APN, while remaining inactive in the presence of APN expressed in normal tissues. This interdisciplinary project offers extensive training opportunities in peptide synthesis and conjugation chemistry, HPLC, LC-MS, chromatography, NMR, and mass spectrometry. The data generated will contribute toward a publication in a chemical biology journal. The student will benefit from the multidisciplinary and vibrant research environment of the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics at the University of Bradford. The student is expected to actively engage in literature searches, present research findings in weekly group meetings, and participate in both chemistry and biology aspects of the project. Students will need to find their own accommodation and be expected to present their findings orally at a research day in York on 08th September 2026.