Project summary
- Program
- PhD
- Location
- Frazer Institute, Woolloongabba
- Research area
- Biological sciences, Biomedical and clinical sciences
Project description
T cells in mammals are vital for detecting and eliminating infected or cancerous cells. Prolonged antigen exposure, common in chronic infections and cancer, can lead to T cell exhaustion, paralysing their ability to kill target cells. Understanding exhaustion's regulatory mechanisms is crucial for immunotherapy and vaccine development.
Cytokines, the messenger proteins sensed by immune cells, play a crucial role in regulating T cell differentiation and function. Specifically, interleukin-21 (IL-21) is the primary cytokine that physiologically prevents T cell exhaustion, but its clinical application is restricted by unfavourable pharmacokinetics. Our team recently discovered a unique biochemical feature of IL-21 that enables the development of novel agonism for enhancing IL-21 signalling. This discovery provides a new opportunity to improve immunotherapies.
This PhD project will span between mechanistic discovery and translational development. Utilising combinatory methodologies including transgenic mouse models of chronic infections and cancers, flowcytometry, and single cell multi-omics, it will investigate:
1. The molecular programs induced by IL-21 signalling to drive T cell differentiation
2. The application of the human IL-21 agonism in cancer immunotherapy, focusing on its synergistic effect with current immune checkpoint blockade therapies
3. The development of novel bispecific therapeutics in preclinical models of cancers.
This project offers a unique opportunity to harness cutting-edge technologies to advance the understanding of T cell immunity for combating persistent infections and cancer,
Research environment
You will be based at Frazer Institute within the Translational Research Institute, offers immersion in leading research environment with cutting-edge facilities for animal experiments, flow cytometry, imaging, and next-generation sequencing. You will benefit from robust training by an advisory team with strong interdisciplinary expertise including immunology, bioinformatics, and oncology.
Scholarship
This is an Earmarked scholarship project that aligns with a recently awarded Australian Government grant.
The scholarship includes:
- living stipend of $35,000 per annum tax free (2024 rate), indexed annually
- your tuition fees covered
Learn more about the Earmarked scholarship.
Supervisor
Principal supervisor
You must contact the principal supervisor for this project to discuss your interest. You should only complete the online application after you have reached agreement on supervision.
Always make sure you are approaching your potential supervisor in a professional way. We have provided some guidelines for you on how to contact a supervisor.
Preferred educational background
Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.
We take into account your:
- previous academic record
- publication record
- honours and awards
- employment history.
A working knowledge of cellular immunology, preclinical mouse models of diseases, cytokine biology, single-cell bioinformatics, structural biology would be of benefit to someone working on this project.
You will demonstrate academic achievement in the fields of biological or biomedical sciences and the potential for scholastic success.
A background or knowledge of immunology, protein biochemistry, or bioinformatics is highly desirable.
How to apply
This project requires candidates to commence no later than Research Quarter 1, 2026. To allow time for your application to be processed, we recommend applying no later than 30 September, 2025 30 June, 2025.
You can start in an earlier research quarter. See application dates.
Before you apply
- Check your eligibility for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
- Prepare your documentation.
- Contact Dr Zhian Chen (zhian.chen@uq.edu.au) to discuss your interest and suitability.
When you apply
You apply for this scholarship when you submit an application for a PhD. You don’t need to submit a separate scholarship application.
In your application ensure that under the ‘Scholarships and collaborative study’ section you select:
- My higher degree is not collaborative
- I am applying for, or have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship
- UQ Earmarked Scholarship type.