I'm a biomedical sciences PhD researcher at Swansea University, working at the intersection of tumour microenvironment biology and liquid-biopsy diagnostics — and building open tools so other researchers can build on the work.
Deniz Akin
Biomedical Sciences · PhD Candidate
My PhD weaves together complementary perspectives — from molecular detection through to therapeutic resistance — to make cancer care more precise and more humane.
How cells organise within a tumour — and what their neighbourhoods reveal about disease progression and treatment response.
Building liquid-biopsy assays that detect cancer earlier, by combining cell-free DNA, EV proteomics and machine-learning classifiers.
Identifying actionable vulnerabilities through high-throughput screening, validated in patient-derived organoids and in vivo models.
Molecular Oncology · 2024–2026
Investigating how stromal cells and immune infiltrates shape disease progression in TNBC using spatial transcriptomics and multiplexed imaging across patient-derived tissue cohorts.
Biomarker Discovery · 2023–2025
Developing a multi-analyte liquid biopsy panel combining cell-free DNA methylation signatures with extracellular vesicle proteomics to detect pancreatic adenocarcinoma at resectable stages.
Therapeutics · 2023–2024
A high-throughput screen of clinically advanced kinase inhibitors against patient-derived glioblastoma stem cells, identifying synergistic combinations that overcome temozolomide resistance.
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Years of research
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Research projects
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Peer-reviewed papers
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Open lab protocols
Cancer research moves forward in increments — but the cumulative effect is enormous. My work is to add honest, reproducible increments, and to share them openly so others can build on them.
Research philosophy
Collaborate
I'm always open to collaborations with other researchers, clinicians, and groups working in cancer biology or open bioinformatics tooling.
Now hiring perspectives