About the Project
Optimising the ultrasound assessment of cancer response to radiotherapy using patient-specific numerical modelling of ultrasound-tissue interactions.
Approximately 50% of patients receive radiotherapy (RT) as part of their treatment for cancer. We know that patient outcomes can vary for a variety of reasons but we are currently unable to identify which patients will respond well, or poorly, to radiotherapy. Early assessment of tumour response, i.e. within the first two weeks, will enable clinicians to provide them with the best therapy by adapting treatment according to the response of their tumour.
Ultrasound backscatter spectroscopy (UBS) can detect morphological changes in tissue at the cellular level, which has application for identifying disease and indicating tissue damage, such as cell death caused by radiotherapy. Great potential for using UBS to monitor tumour response to RT has been demonstrated in vivo. Ultrasound backscatter characteristics are principally derived from spectral analysis of the ultrasound-backscattered signal, which is strongly influenced by ultrasound attenuation and diffraction by tissues. This reduces the sensitivity with which we can detect changes in tumour morphology and is a particular problem in deeper-seated tumours, which have more overlying tissues through which the ultrasound must penetrate, limiting a potentially powerful technique to a handful of superficial cancer sites. We propose to devise a patient–specific model-based correction method for attenuation and diffraction using multi-modality patient imaging.
Co-lead supervisors at Imperial College (IC) have developed Pogo (www.pogo.software), an elastodynamic finite element solver, which can be used to solve wave propagation problems in solid media. The successful candidate will develop Pogo to model the propagation of ultrasound through tissue defined by patient-specific models derived from clinical CT and MRI images. The candidate will be part of two of the world's foremost research universities, within world-recognised research groups, sharing their time equally between the two groups, performing experimental measurements at the ICR to support model development and model validation. This PhD project will evolve alongside preclinical and clinical studies of 3D UBS for tumour response of head and neck cancer (HNC) to radiotherapy at the ICR. The student will have the opportunity to acquire UBS data preclinically and clinically (healthy volunteers) to validate their work. The successful implementation of model-based patient-specific attenuation and diffraction correction will benefit early assessment of radiotherapy and other therapies, such as targeted-drug therapy, as well as other areas of cancer research, such as ultrasound guidance of biopsies or surgery.
Candidate profile
We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a strong background in one of the following disciplines (or closely related): Physics, Computational Physics, Mechanical or Biomedical Engineering. The successful candidate will show commitment to developing expertise in both numerical modeling and experimental domains. They must be able to work independently and as part of distributed team.
Requirements:
A strong academic track record with a 2:1 or higher in relevant undergraduate degree. It is also desirable to have a strong performance on a relevant postgraduate degree, or its equivalent if outside the UK. Proven experience in one or more of the following is desirable: mathematical modeling, numerical modeling, image processing or one scientific programming language (e.g. C++, Python, Fortran).
How to apply
Full details about these studentship projects, and the online application form, are available on our website, at: www.icr.ac.uk/phds Applications for all projects should be made online. Please ensure that you read and follow the application instructions very carefully.
Closing date: Monday 20th November 2017
Applicants should be available for interview 29h and 30th January 2018.
Please apply via the ICR vacancies web portal https://studentapps.icr.ac.uk/
Download a PDF of the complete project proposal:
https://d1ijoxngr27nfi.cloudfront.net/default-document-library/harris-amp-huthwaite-1-icr-imperial-crce-phd-studentship-proposal-form_web.pdf