Dr Alexander Oldroyd

Arrival at Stanford

After a thankfully uneventful flight from the UK I arrived at Stanford University – stepping onto the Stanford University campus was awe inspiring! I especially enjoyed the beautiful Romanesque architectural design, art gallery, and multitude of sculptures – at that point I wish I had dedicated time in my busy schedule to simply absorb the campus.

First, I had a day with the Stanford University Myositis Team, who carry out research and clinical work in this area. This began with stimulating discussions with Professor David Fiorentino. This visit made me realise the benefit of face to face meetings, as opposed to virtual – they allow more in depth and productive discussions and the ability to form connections for future collaborative work. We discussed a wide range of topics, from the unmet need of early cancer detection in people with myositis, currently available datasets, and how to integrate new approaches, including liquid biopsy. However, the biggest benefit came from discussing how we could best collaborate internationally, between Stanford University, The University of Manchester, and the wider ACED network.

I was then lucky enough to attend and observe the inflammatory skin disease clinic, run by Professor Fiorentino and Professor Lorinda Chung. It was fantastic to learn how they manage patients with myositis, risk stratify for cancer, and screen for cancer. Attending the clinic also contributed to a nuanced understanding of healthcare dynamics across international contexts and important similarities and differences in patient management between the USA and UK – this greater understanding will help me plan my research so that outputs can be appropriately translated into clinical practice in multiple contrasting health systems.

I had the opportunity to meet members of the Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection. After a warm welcome I gave a presentation on myositis, the current state of cancer early detection, and future plans. I greatly enjoyed the vibrant discussion and insightful questions that followed. The varied research backgrounds of members of Canary Center, including radiology and engineering, provided new insights into potential solutions to early myositis-associated cancer detection. A tour of the Canary Center’s impressive facilities and labs was fantastic – the liquid biopsy-focused equipment was fascinating!

Key takeaways

I was lucky enough to spend time meeting Professor Summer Han, an expert in developing and applying novel statistical methods for understanding the genetic and environmental aetiology of complex diseases and establishing new approaches for evaluating effective screening strategies based on etiological understanding. I greatly enjoyed discussing Professor Han’s research, myositis, cancer screening, personalised risk stratification, and opportunities to access cancer registries.

I also met with members of the Stanford University Division of Immunology and Rheumatology. In depth discussions with Professor Julia Simard about epidemiological approaches to cancer risk stratification across other rheumatological conditions and how to apply these to myositis was illuminating. It was fascinating to talk to Dr Tamiko Katsumoto, a rheumatologist and expert in checkpoint inhibitor induced immune-mediated adverse events, about how research into patients with idiopathic myositis and checkpoint inhibitor-induced myositis can provide key insights into cancer and autoimmunity aetiology.

Finally, I had the pleasure of presenting my research work and future plans to the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology’s research meeting – this was my very last activity at Stanford University, before catching my flight home. The variety of insights, ideas for future directions, and productive discussion regarding clinical translation was the perfect way to round off my time at Stanford University.

Overall, my time at Stanford University has truly taken my research to the next level. I was able to establish collaborations, learn from experts in the myositis field, and learn how a range of contrasting research approaches could answer key questions – all influencing my future research direction. The collaborations I made during my time at Stanford University will be key to answering key questions in the field of myositis-associated cancer early detection.

My time at Stanford University gave me a greater understanding of the importance of international multi-centred research and confidence to approach experts within and outside my current network regarding collaboration.

I would like to again express my gratitude to ACED for funding this invaluable visit to Stanford University and I encourage anyone looking to establish international collaborations or learn new skills to apply to this excellent scheme.