Call for applications for a fully financed PhD fellowship
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a chronic, slowly progressive malignancy primarily affecting older men, though it can occur in individuals of all ages and sexes. In some patients, the disease becomes life-threatening. CTCL-affected skin is characterized by inflammation, pruritus, and scaling; in advanced stages, patients develop painful, ulcerating tumors. Although the etiology of CTCL remains unclear, microbial agents are suspected to play a contributory role.
Based on this background, we aim to investigate a novel combination therapy involving topical administration of a JAK inhibitor with chlormethine gel (Ledaga) in patients with CTCL. We hypothesize that the JAK inhibitor will reduce disease-associated inflammation, while chlormethine gel will provide cytotoxic effects against malignant T cells.
The therapeutic response will be evaluated in a translational research setting, incorporating both clinical and molecular parameters to assess efficacy and potential mechanistic pathways.
The PhD student must be a medical doctor and able to speak fluent danish, as the PhD student is going to do skin biopsies and take blood samples. Most of the study patients will be elderly, and a significant amount of these will probably not be able to communicate in other languages than Danish.
The PhD student is expected to supervise a research year student who is a medical student.
Please submit your application via this link. Application deadline is 15 June 2025 23:59 CET. Preferred starting date is 1 Sepetmeber 2025.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Please contact Associate Professor Rikke Bech, rikke.bech@aarhus.rm.dk or au595554@clin.au.dk, for more information.
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.
