The Marseille Cancer Research Center (CRCM) is launching its doctoral recruitment campaign with 31 PhD projects led by its research teams. These projects cover a broad spectrum of cancer research, ranging from fundamental biology to translational approaches.

Immunotherapy, tumor microenvironment, leukemias, solid tumors, epigenetics, and treatment resistance: this diversity reflects the scientific dynamism of CRCM.

How to apply ?

• These projects are offered within the doctoral schools ED658 and ED659.
• Applicants must apply through the competitive selection process of the relevant doctoral schools.
• Prospective candidates are strongly encouraged to contact supervisors prior to applying.
• Application deadline: May 11

PhD projects

1. Exploring bispecific molecular tools to optimize car-t cell therapy in oncology

Team : Anticorps Thérapeutiques et Immunociblage
Contact : Octavia Antonoff , Rémi Lasserre, Patrick Chames
Summary : Development of tools to better control CAR-T cell activity in order to reduce toxicity while maintaining their antitumor efficacy.

2. Role of Leukemic Stem Cell and bone marrow niche heterogeneity in drug resistance

Team : Interactions Leuco/Stromales dans l’hématopoïèse normale et pathologique
Contact : Michel Aurrand-Lions
Summary : Study of the interactions between leukemic cells and the bone marrow microenvironment to understand mechanisms of treatment resistance.

3. Study of alterations of normal residual haematopoiesis and immune cells in early-stage leukaemia

Team : Interactions Leuco/Stromales dans l’hématopoïèse normale et pathologique
Contact : Cyril Fauriat
Summary : Identification of early hematopoietic alterations and their role in leukemia initiation.

4. Preclinical Development of Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) against the Receptor PTK7

Team : Ciblage des réseaux de signalisation et du microenvironnement dans le cancer
Contact : Jean-Paul Borg
Summary : Development of novel CAR-T approaches to effectively target solid tumors and overcome tumor escape mechanisms.

5. Identification of evolutive liver preneoplastic drivers as candidates for preventive screenings and targeted therapy

Team : Ciblage des réseaux de signalisation et du microenvironnement dans le cancer
Contact : Célia Sequera, Avais Daulat
Summary : Study of the early stages of liver cancer development to identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

6. Deciphering Tumor and Myeloid Cell Crosstalk during Immune Remodeling in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Team : Ciblage des réseaux de signalisation et du microenvironnement dans le cancer
Contact : Fabienne Lamballe, Paula Michea-Veloso
Summary : Analysis of interactions between tumor cells and immune cells to better understand tumor aggressiveness.

7. COMPLICITY : COMPutationaL tools for NanoBooster In Cancer ImmunoTherapY

Team : COMPO : Pharmacologie COMPutationnelle et Oncologie clinique
Contact : Joseph Ciccolini, Anne Rodallec
Summary : Development of immunomodulatory nanoparticles to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapies.

8. Metabolic chronotherapy: targeting cholesterol metabolism at a specific time-of-the-day to improve the treatment against pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Team : Dialogue cellules stromales/tumorales et reprogrammation métabolique dans les cancers du pancréas
Contact : Fabienne Guillaumond
Summary : Study of the role of circadian rhythms in tumor metabolism to optimize treatment administration.

9. Role of Interferon-γ in Inducing an Epigenetic Cancer Fate During Breast Tumor Initiation

Team : Cellules souches épithéliales et cancer
Contact : Christophe Ginestier
Summary : Analysis of the role of inflammation and epigenetic mechanisms in the initiation of breast cancer.

10. Study of the mechanisms ensuring meiotic recombination between sex chromosomes in mice

Team : Dynamique du Génome et Recombinaison
Contact : Laurent Acquaviva, Bertrand Llorente
Summary : Study of proteins involved in the recombination of sex chromosomes during meiosis.

11. In vivo expression of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), CAR-Nectin-4, in cytotoxic cells and modulation of CISH, an immune checkpoint, to enhance the anti-tumor response

Team : Immunité et Cancer
Contact : Geoffrey Guittard
Summary : Development of immune engineering strategies to enhance the antitumor response.

12. Reprogramming Tumor Stress to Overcome Immunosuppression and Sensitize PDAC to Immunotherapy

Team : Immunité et Cancer
Contact : Patricia Santofimia, Alice Carrier
Summary : Study of cellular stress mechanisms and their role in tumor immune evasion.

13. Towards the discovery of new therapeutic targets in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Team : Biologie moléculaire intégrative dans l’hématopoïèse et la leucémie
Contact : Marie Loosveld, Delphine Potier
Summary : Identification of novel targets for the development of immunotherapies in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

14. Epigenetic and transcriptomic profiling to understand treatment resistance in acute myeloid leukemia

Team : Biologie moléculaire intégrative dans l’hématopoïèse et la leucémie
Contact : Estelle Duprez
Summary : Study of epigenetic mechanisms involved in treatment resistance.

15. Deciphering clonal heterogeneity in Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemias

Team : Biologie moléculaire intégrative dans l’hématopoïèse et la leucémie
Contact : Dominique Payet Bornet
Summary : Analysis of the evolutionary trajectories of leukemic cells at the single-cell level.

16. Epigenetic regulation of hematopoietic stem cell function in aging

Team : Biologie moléculaire intégrative dans l’hématopoïèse et la leucémie
Contact : Mathilde Poplineau, Chiara Taroni
Summary : Study of epigenetic changes associated with aging and immunity.

17. Structural characterization of thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) and its interaction with CD47: toward the discovery of modulators of the CD47–TSP1 complex through high-throughput screening

Team : Biologie Structurale et Chimie-Biologie Intégrée
Contact : Sarah Barelier, Elsa Garcin
Summary : Developing new therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating immune interactions.

18. Dissecting and targeting extracellular vesicle-mediated communication in TP53-mutated acute myeloid leukemia

Team : Dommages de l’ADN et pathologies sanguines
Contact : Raphael Leblanc , Christophe Lachaud
Summary : Study of the role of extracellular vesicles in leukemia progression and resistance.

19. Deciphering the role of N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases 4, 6 and 12 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma aggressiveness and chemoresistance

Team : Recherche Translationnelle et Thérapeutique dans le Cancer du Pancréas
Contact : Eric Mas
Summary : Identifying glycosylated biomarkers associated with tumor aggressiveness.

20. PSMD2 ubiquitination as a theranostic marker and molecular target to predict and prevent resistance in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Team : Recherche Translationnelle et Thérapeutique dans le Cancer du Pancréas
Contact : Philippe Soubeyran
Summary : Investigating mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer.

21. Precision medicine strategies to target the Proliferative K2 Subtype in Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases

Team : Oncologie Prédictive
Contact : David Birnbaum
Summary : Identification of new therapeutic strategies targeting specific tumor subtypes.

22. Dynamic characterization of survival programs in persistent tumor cells exposed to peri-operative chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer

Team : Oncologie Prédictive
Contact : Emilie Mamessier
Summary : Investigating treatment-resistant cells that drive disease relapse.

23. Predicting the response to neoadjuvant therapies for operable aggressive breast cancers using a simple blood test: a new step toward real-time precision medicine

Team : Oncologie Prédictive
Contact : Renaud Sabatier, Emilie Denicolai
Summary : Development of blood-based tests to predict treatment response.

24. How restarted replication in the presence of unrepaired lesions results in genome instability

Team : Dommages de l’ADN et instabilité du génome ;
Télomères et Chromatine
Contact : Luisa Laureti, Karel Naiman
Summary : Investigating DNA replication mechanisms and their contribution to genomic instability.

To know more

25. Interdependence of SLX4, RTEL1 and XPF in the handling of replication stress

Team : Contrôle des Endonucléases à Spécificité de Structure et Stabilité du Génome
Contact : Stéphanie Gon, Pierre-henri Gaillard
Summary : Analysis of replication stress response mechanisms in cancer cells.

26. Structural and functional consequences of the R481Q disease-causing mutation affecting the Fanconi pathway factor SLX4/FANCP

Team : Contrôle des Endonucléases à Spécificité de Structure et Stabilité du Génome
Contact : Agnès Tissier, Pierre-henri Gaillard
Summary : Study of the consequences of a mutation affecting genomic stability.

27. Overcoming radio- and chemo-resistance in pediatric high-grade glioma

Team : Pharmacologie Moléculaire inversée en oncologie pédiatrique (REMAP-4kids)
Contact : Eddy Pasquier
Summary : Identification of effective therapeutic combinations for pediatric brain tumors.

28. Targeting iron metabolism to overcome therapeutic resistance in refractory pediatric cancer

Team : Pharmacologie Moléculaire inversée en oncologie pédiatrique (REMAP-4kids)
Contact : Marion Le Grand
Summary : Exploration of the role of iron metabolism in treatment resistance.

29. Role of the Replication Protein A (RPA) in telomere maintenance : from molecular mechanism to telomere diseases

Team : Télomères et Chromatine
Contact : Stéphane Coulon
Summary : Study of telomere stability mechanisms and associated diseases.

30. Exploring strategies to improve the efficacy of antibody-drug conjugates in breast cancer treatment

Team : Vésicules extracellulaires : mécanismes de signalisation et ingénierie thérapeutique
Contact : Rania Ghossoub , Pascale Zimmermann
Summary : Understanding the mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies.

31. Role of syntenin-dependent extracellular vesicles in cancer stemness

Team : Vésicules extracellulaires : mécanismes de signalisation et ingénierie thérapeutique
Contact : Sylvie Thuault
Summary : Study of the role of extracellular vesicles in tumor plasticity.