(MCRC Clinical) The VIGILANCE study: developing imaging and circulating biomarkers towards personalised radiotherapy in locally advanced lung cancer
About the Project
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type. One-fifth of patients present with stage 3 or locally advanced (LA) disease, equating to approximately 9,000 patients annually in England. Over half of these patients receive radiotherapy-based treatments. In fit patients, concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by immunotherapy offers the best chance of cure. Unfortunately, such treatments are associated with significant toxicity and the prognosis remains poor due to high risk of recurrence.
There remains an unmet clinical need for biomarkers that can predict toxicity and identify treatment failure early. Such information would be clinically useful for tailoring personalised treatment and follow-up regimens to individuals and their specific cancer. The ultimate aim is to design a patient-led clinical trial that integrates new biomarkers to improve treatment decision-making and individualises lung cancer treatment.
High-quality prospective clinical data has already been collected from patients with LA-NSCLC undergoing curative-intent radiotherapy within the MCRC’s VIGILANCE study. Study data includes innovative cell-free DNA (cfDNA) biomarkers together with radiomic biomarkers from routine imaging captured at multiple timepoints throughout treatment and follow-up. Patient-reported symptoms and quality of life measures through patient-reported outcome measures have also been collected. This will provide insight into the patient experience during and after radiotherapy and permit the evaluation of the potential of these measures as a patient-centred qualitative biomarker. Except for cfDNA, all candidate biomarkers are routinely collected, making this study highly pragmatic.
Overall, this project builds on previous work, but will introduce new and impactful insights that significantly advance the research. The candidate will benefit from the unique infrastructure and strengths that have been established locally, bringing together experts in clinical and translational research. The team includes members of the Christie, CRUK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, National Cancer Biomarker Centre and the MCRC.
Eligibility
You must be a post-registration clinician, and ideally have a specialist post in a related subject, to apply for our Clinical Research Training Fellowships.
You should also hold, or about to obtain, a minimum Upper Second Class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in a relevant discipline. A related master’s degree would be an advantage.
It is generally expected that CRTFs will return to a training programme in the UK upon completion of their research degree.
International applicants (including EU nationals) must ensure they meet the academic eligibility criteria (including English language) before contacting potential supervisors to express an interest in their project. Eligibility information can be found on the University's Country Specific information page.
Before you Apply
Applicants must make direct contact with preferred supervisors before applying. It is your responsibility to make arrangements to meet with potential supervisors, prior to submitting a formal online application.
How to Apply
For information on how to apply for this project, please visit the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Doctoral Academy website. On the online application form select MCRC PhD Programme.
Your application form must be accompanied by a number of supporting documents by the advertised deadlines. Without all the required documents submitted at the time of application, your application will not be processed and we cannot accept responsibility for late or missed deadlines. Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you have any queries regarding making an application, please contact our admissions team.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. The full Equality, diversity and inclusion statement can be found on the website.
Applications Timeline
Applications open: 11 October 2024
Application deadline: 15 November 2024
Interviews: 17th January 2025
Start date: September 2025
Funding Notes
The clinical fellowships are usually tenable over three years, although in certain circumstances they may be four years duration. The fellowship covers: running expenses, an appropriate salary in line with the applicant's current salary and grade and full coverage of University PhD fees at the UK/home fee rate.
International Candidates
We are able to offer a limited number of bursaries to high- performing EU and international candidates, covering PhD fees only. Bursaries do not include financial support for visa/health surcharges. We asses each EU and international candidate's suitability for a bursary at the application and interview stages.
References
2. Chemi F, Pearce SP, Clipson A, Hill SM, Conway AM, Richardson SA, et al. cfDNA methylome profiling for detection and subtyping of small cell lung cancers. Nat Cancer [Internet]. 2022 Aug 8 [cited 2022 Aug 21]; Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43018-022-00415-9
3. A cfDNA methylation-based tissue-of-origin classifier for cancers of unknown primary | Nature Communications [Internet]. [cited 2024 Aug 22]. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47195-7
4. Avanzo M, Wei L, Stancanello J, Vallières M, Rao A, Morin O, et al. Machine and deep learning methods for radiomics. Medical Physics. 2020;47(5):e185–202.
5. Real-world outcomes in patients with unresected stage III non-small cell lung cancer - ProQuest [Internet]. [cited 2021 Dec 28]. Available from: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2174251496?accountid=12253&parentSessionId=m%2B6px1RoRy7vdQNTAQZzAuyQpwhaL2MoSIQPkUfR%2BPw%3D&pq-origsite=primo
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