Knowledge becomes health" we are filling this motto with life every day, developing new ideas and improv ing old established knowledge. The University Hospital Frankfurt has existed since 1914. Our around 8,500 employees contribute with their skills and knowledge to the 33 specialist clinics, theoretical clinical institutes, and administrative departments. The close connection of health care with research and teaching, as well as a climate of collegiality, internationality, and cross professional cooperation characterize the university hospital. PhD Student Targeting epigenetic regulators in leukemia development (We are targeting applicants of all genders) Full Time | limited for 3 years with possibility of extension | Announcement number: 163 2025 We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join the lab of Dr. Hannah Uckelmann in the Pediatrics Department and Mildred Scheel Career Center (MSNZ). The Max Eder junior research group of Dr. Uckelmann specializes on studying the epigenetic regulation of leukemic self renewal and targeted epigenetic therapy approaches. We are looking for a candidate specifically interested in understanding the epigenetic mechanisms driving the switch from normal to malignant hematopoiesis using in vitro and in vivo models, applying cutting edge chromatin technologies and protein biochemistry. For an insight into the University Hospital Frankfurt, click here. Project description: Our lab is interested in understanding the epigenetic mechanisms driving leukemia development and uncovering novel therapeutic targets using in vitro and in vivo models of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This project will focus on the epigenetic complexes that cooperate with the oncogene NPM1c to drive oncogenic gene expression. We have previously shown that NPM1c is highly dependent on the MLL histone methyltransferase complex and based on our studies novel targeted therapy approaches are currently in phase II clinical trials (Uckelmann et al. Science 2020). Our recently published study further shows that NPM1c, which was previously been thought to mainly act in the cytoplasm of cancer cells, is present in the nucleus and recruited to chromatin where it directly regulates oncogenic gene expression (Uckelmann et al. Cancer Discovery 2023). In our future studies we will take a closer look at cooperating partners of NPM1c on chromatin to uncover novel epigenetic mechanisms to uncover specific vulnerabilities of preleukemic and leukemic cells. More information can be found here: www.uckelmannlab.com Your role Explore epigenetic complexes driving cancer development using in vitro and in vivo leukemia models Use CRISPR gene editing to generate new model systems such as endogenous degrader models and reporter cell lines to study the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis Apply cutting edge technologies to study epigenetic and transcriptional deregulation in cancer Identify potential new drug targets and novel treatment approaches for acu