PhD Studentship – Intra-operative diagnosis of brain tumour margins

Job title:

PhD Studentship – Intra-operative diagnosis of brain tumour margins

Company

University of Cambridge

Job description

Applications are invited for a fully-funded 3-year PhD studentship based in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Stephen Price and Dr Alexis Joannides starting October 2025.Project description:Gliomas are the commonest primary brain tumour and account for more average years of life loss than all common cancers. They are the commonest cause of cancer death in children and adults under 40 years old. There have been few new treatments for these patients making it imperative we optimise treatments we currently have.Much of the improvement in survival with gliomas over the last 20 years has been down to surgery. We know surgery can kill more tumour than all other methods and that good resection of tumours can improve the efficacy of other treatments making improvements in surgery complementary to other improvements in treatment. Yet, surgery is the most toxic therapy. Our aim is to remove as much of the tumour as possible without causing neurological deficits.We are beginning to understand which patients respond best to aggressive therapy and which do not need such aggressive surgery. Much of this is based on molecular subtypes predicting better oncological treatment responses. The problem is that we only find these subtypes some weeks after surgery. If we could diagnose the subtype of tumour intra-operatively, there may be an opportunity to tailor surgery based on these subtypes. Changing therapy for subtypes is an approach that has had significant impact on breast cancer survival.This project will develop methods to look at how we can make intra-operative diagnosis in gliomas. It will focus on how we can obtain tissue intra-operatively and how we can analyse the tissue. Initial work will focus on assays for 2-hydroxyglutarate in tumour samples with IDH mutations. The project will involve working with scientsts and clinicians to obtain data from the operating theatre from patients with brain tumours.This project will be based in the Cambridge Brain Tumour Imaging laboratory is a unique laboratory involved in using imaging and other techniques o guide and improve surgery.This project is funded through the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Injury (HRC) Fellowship Programme, which has been designed to support the research needs across its 5 themes: prevention & education, acute care & monitoring, restoration & rehabilitation, diagnostics and life-course. Central to the programme are the 7 core academic projects, across 4 academic partners.In addition to the institutional training and education support, the HRC rolling educational programme will be delivered through a mixture of tutorials, workshops, web-based training resources, networking events and peer-led activities. This will equip fellows with unique considerations for developing HealthTech solutions, including modules in navigating the Regulatory and Commercial landscape, Essentials of Health Economics, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement, How to Sell to the NHS, Research Inclusion, Research Design and Funding Support.FundingThe studentship will cover the student’s fees and stipend for three years at the current UOC rate for October 2025, £19,000.00 and Home fees of £10,356.00.The studentships are available to students who qualify for UK Home fees.Please check for Home eligibility ( ) and entry requirements ( )All applications should be made online via the University’s Applicant Portal for a PhD in PhD in Clinical Neurosciences. Deadline to apply is 30 April 2025. Please apply via the application portal –Applications should include academic transcripts, CV, statement of purpose and 2 references. An application is only complete when all supporting documents, including the 2 academic references, are submitted. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure their referees submit their references before the closing date. Please also explain your motivation why you wish to pursue a PhD in this area, outline your research interests and background, and describe the qualities and experience you will bring to the role.Any queries about the project, please contact Mita Brahmbhatt (NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Injury) atAny questions regarding application processes, please contact the Education team on .Please quote reference ZE45542 and project title on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Expected salary

Location

Cambridge

Job date

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 00:13:23 GMT

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