Investigating spatial transcriptomic features of advanced colorectal cancer
Dr Xiao Fu, Prof Owen Sansom, Prof Joanne Edwards, Prof Nigel Jamieson
Lab: Integrative Modelling
Duration: 4 years, starting October 2026
Closing Date: Monday 18 May 2026
Interviews for this position will take place in July 2026
Background
Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), a type of immunotherapy that reinvigorates the anti-cancer immune system, is transforming cancer treatment. Despite its promising potential in several cancer contexts, the response to ICB is highly variable in patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). The genetic and transcriptomic heterogeneity of colorectal cancer cells play an important role in shaping variable treatment outcomes. In addition, it's increasingly appreciated that the complex structure and states of the tumour microenvironment (TME) contribute to therapy resistance, with the advances of spatial and multi-modal profiling technologies. Discovering novel features of advanced CRC associated with ICB benefits has the potential to improve patient stratification and personalised medicine. In this project, we will investigate spatial transcriptomic features of primary and metastatic CRC, leveraging the multiple spatial technologies (e.g., CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager, Xenium Spatial Transcriptomics) available at the CRUK Scotland Institute and the University of Glasgow. In collaboration with the Sansom lab, we will map spatial and temporal features of primary and metastatic CRC samples from genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) that recapitulate the human disease, to discover features associated with ICB treatment outcomes and cancer cell genetics. In collaboration with the Edwards and Jamieson labs, we will interrogate the pre-clinically discovered features in primary and synchronous or metachronous metastasis samples from patients with CRC, to uncover associations of these features with patients' genetic and clinico-pathological characteristics. Overall, our project aims to discover novel spatial transcriptomic features of advanced CRC to improve disease management as well as to deliver a comprehensive spatio-temporal, multi-parametric atlas available to both discovery and translational research community.
Research Question
What are spatio-temporal features of the TME associated with immunotherapy outcomes? How are these features associated with patients' genetic and clinico-pathological characteristics?
Relevance to cancer challenges in Indonesia
Colorectal cancer is among the leading causes of cancer mortality in Indonesia, where most patients present with advanced disease for which immunotherapy represents a key treatment option, yet response rates remain highly variable, and the biological determinants of resistance are poorly understood. The spatio-temporal atlas of TME features and immunotherapy outcomes generated by this project will provide mechanistic insights directly applicable to improving treatment selection and clinical decision-making for Indonesian CRC patients, leveraging findings from well-characterised preclinical models and available patient datasets. The spatial profiling and computational expertise gained through this studentship will build critically needed analytical capacity in Indonesia, equipping the returning researcher to lead translational immunotherapy research and advance biomarker-guided cancer care in the Indonesian healthcare setting.
Skills/Techniques that will be gained
- Bioimage analysis software
- Spatial data analysis
- Python and R programming
- High-Performance Computing for scalable data analysis
For questions regarding the application process, PhD programme/studentships at the CRUK Scotland Institute or any other queries, please contact phdstudentships@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk.
Closing date: Monday 18 May 2026
For your application to be considered, you must upload your CV and a completed document CRUK-LPDP Recruitment Form(108 KB)
CRUK Recruitment Form Instructions
- We ask that you do not add your name or any Institution details to the document CRUK-LPDP Recruitment Form(108 KB) .
- Applications will be shortlisted by CRUK SI initially based on the document CRUK-LPDP Recruitment Form(108 KB) only. CVs will be used in further rounds of shortlisting to invite candidates to interview.
