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The aim of this PhD project is to develop switchable cyclic peptides that can be triggered to interact with target proteins upon exposure to an external stimulus, or instead to disassociate in response to the stimulus. Peptides will be discovered using phage display in tandem with chemical modification, as well as mRNA display with flexizyme incorporation of unnatural amino acids. There will be numerous targets for these peptides, starting with the FANCM-RMI interaction which is a key player in the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres pathway that governs genome stability and is a prime therapeutic target for ALT-driven cancers such as many osteosarcomas and glioblastomas. The switchable peptides developed in this project will be applied as specific affinity reagents for pulldown of native proteins as well as controllable tools in the in vitro dissection of mechanistic aspects of DNA replication.
Specific requirements:
- Experience in peptide drug discovery and screening of large libraries
- Experience in synthetic chemistry
This opportunity/project is part of the Faculty of Science Health and Medical Science Research Scholarship scheme and will be advertised on the Scholarship Office website from 1 December 2025 to 5 January 2026. Visit this link here.
- The selected applicant is expected to commence their candidature from 2 March 2026 onward.
- The scholarship application process is separate from applying for admission to the University of Sydney.
- The scholarship will only be awarded once the successful scholarship applicant has received an unconditional offer of admission.
- International applicants are responsible for securing any necessary visas and costs to enable study based in Sydney.
The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 3716