The most common aortic conditions are aneurysm and dissection caused by weakening or splitting of the aortic wall, respectively. Aneurysm and dissection surgery involve removal of the damaged section of aorta and replacement with a synthetic graft. Many decisions regarding how much of the aorta is removed are made by the surgeon during the operation based on the appearance of the aorta, perceived surgical risks and likelihood of disease recurrence. No analytical technique currently exists to provide intra-operative guidance to assist with surgical decision making.
We have recently shown that human aortic tissue removed during surgery from a range of aortic pathologies have distinct biochemical and biomechanical properties compared with healthy aortic tissue (see references). Based on these data we hypothesise that tissue integrity is associated with prognosis post-surgery and in turn likelihood of requiring further surgery. Current measurements on tissue are made retrospectively in clinical/biochemical laboratories meaning that they are not suitable for use in guiding surgical decision making. The use of portable Raman spectroscopy has the potential to provide real-time measurements during surgery. This will enable incorporation of these measurements into decision-making during vascular surgery and potentially reduce the number of surgical interventions a patient undergoes.
This project will generate Raman measurements for human aortic tissue from healthy donors or from those obtained during surgery for aortic pathologies. These spectroscopic data will be combined with biochemical and biomechanical data to probe tissue integrity and composition and enhance understanding of the processes underpinning aortic health and disease. Data will be used to generate predictive computational models linking tissue integrity and composition with post-operative prognosis to identify patients at-risk of disease recurrence. These predictive models will be the first step towards the ability to probe aortic tissue integrity during surgery, and in turn predict disease prognosis. This project is working at the forefront of translational medicine to bring current laboratory-based techniques into clinical environments as point-of-care testing during surgery. Overall, this work will probe the feasibility for future point-of-care testing providing vital additional information to aid real-time decision-making during surgery based on properties of the tissue to reduce/eliminate the need for further surgery.
The student will be situated at University of Liverpool within the labs of Dr Jill Madine @jill_madine (https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/systems-molecular-and-integrative-biology/staff/jillian-madine)
and Professor Roy Goodacre @RoyGoodacre (http://biospec.net ) working together
with Professor Mark Field at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (https://www.lhch.nhs.uk/gps-professionals/our-consultants/our-aortic-surgery-team/prof-mark-field)
and as a member of the Liverpool Aortic Biomechanics and Biochemistry Research group (http://labb-group.com).
Benefits of being in the DiMeN DTP:
This project is part of the Discovery Medicine North Doctoral Training Partnership (DiMeN DTP), a diverse community of PhD students across the North of England researching the major health problems facing the world today. Our partner institutions (Universities of Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, York and Sheffield) are internationally recognised as centres of research excellence and can offer you access to state-of the-art facilities to deliver high impact research.
We are very proud of our student-centred ethos and committed to supporting you throughout your PhD. As part of the DTP, we offer bespoke training in key skills sought after in early career researchers, as well as opportunities to broaden your career horizons in a range of non-academic sectors.
Being funded by the MRC means you can access additional funding for research placements, international training opportunities or internships in science policy, science communication and beyond. See how our current DiMeN students have benefited from this funding here: http://www.dimen.org.uk/overview/student-profiles/flexible-supplement-awards
Further information on the programme and how to apply can be found on our website:
http://www.dimen.org.uk/how-to-apply/application-overview
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