About the Project
About
Supervisory Team: Prof Willie Hamilton (Lead)
Dr Giordano Pula (Exeter), Dr Ingeborg Hers (Bristol), Dr Alastair Poole (Bristol)
Location: Exeter, Medical School
Project
Thrombocytosis (i.e. a platelet count of over 400 x 109/l in peripheral blood) has been described in cancer patients by several studies. A recent epidemiological study by the main applicant was the first to discover that thrombocytosis is a risk marker for undiagnosed cancer, and has particularly high value as a predictive marker for as yet undiagnosed lung cancer.
Despite recent advances and initiatives, cancer is still the leading cause of death in the UK, and UK cancer outcomes are particularly poor compared to other European countries. Primary care, the gateway to secondary care services, is a critical setting for expediting cancer diagnosis. Cancers are diagnosed at later disease stages in the UK compared to the rest of Europe, and late stage diagnosis is generally associated with poorer survival. The identification of thrombocytosis as a risk marker of undiagnosed cancer has great significance for improving early diagnosis, prompting general practitioners to suspect cancer when they might not otherwise have done so.
In the proposed project, we aim to evaluate the association between thrombocytosis and lung cancer from a multidisciplinary perspective. Firstly, the association of thrombocytosis with a future diagnosis (within 12 months) of different types of lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma and small cell lung cancer or SCLC) will be examined using English electronic primary care records obtained from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The CPRD collates electronic medical records for research purposes from roughly 8% of UK general practices. It details patient medical h
istory, test results, diagnoses, and symptoms, and is linked to English National Cancer Registration Service data. Cell lines of the above cancer types will be tested in vitro for their ability to promote megakaryocyte proliferation, differentiation and platelet formation in a co-culture system. The biochemical nature of the signal released by lung cancer cells affecting megakaryocyte physiology will be investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay ELISA, antibody/pharmacological inhibition, chromatographic fractionation, and proteomics. This will enable further exploration of the pathology underlying the cancer-platelet association. In the final phase of the project, in vitro data and epidemiological data will be compared to identify which lung cancer types are more strongly associated with megakaryocyte modulation and thrombocytosis.
The student on this project will receive in depth training on the use of statistical tools for epidemiological data analysis and a solid background on biochemistry and cell biology research. This will make the student a modern health care scientist with the abilities to bridge experimental biomedicine and population health research.
Start date: October 2018
Most studentships will be 3.5 years full time or up to 7 years part-time, and can be longer where additional training is undertaken.
How to apply
APPLICATIONS OPEN ON 25 SEPTEMBER AND CLOSE AT 17:00 ON 24 NOVEMBER 2017.
IMPORTANT: In order to apply for this project, you should apply using the DTP’s online application form. More information on the application process may be found here: http://www.gw4biomed.ac.uk/projects-2/for-students/
You do NOT need to apply to the University of Exeter at this stage – only those applicants who are successful in obtaining an offer of funding from the DTP will be required to submit an application to study at Exeter.
Funding Notes
Stipend matching UK Research Council National Minimum (£14,553 p.a. for 2017/18, updated each year) plus UK/EU tuition fees
UK and EU applicants who have been residing in the UK since September 2015 will be eligible for a full award; those who do not meet this residency requirement may be eligible for a fees-only award.
Applicants who are classed as International for tuition fee purposes are not eligible for funding.