Frailty assessment using imaging-derived body composition analysis to inform personalised anal cancer treatment – reverse and forward translation within the PLATO trial platforms
Closing date: 15/11/2024
Leeds-Manchester Clinical Research Training Fellowship Project: PREDICT-EC: Frailty assessment using imaging-derived body composition analysis to inform personalised anal cancer treatment – reverse and forward translation within the PLATO trial platforms
Lead Supervisors: Dr Russell Frood
Co-Supervisors: Prof. Andrew Scarsbrook, Dr Alan Mcwilliam, Prof. David Sebag-Montefiore, Prof. Andrew Renehan, Prof. Sarah Brown, Dr Matthew Sperrin
Applications Deadline: Friday 15th November 2024
Interviews: Friday 17th January 2025
Clinical Research Training Fellowship start date: September 2025
Project Keywords: Anal Carcinoma; Frailty Assessment; Translational Imaging Research
Research Opportunity: Clinical Research Training Fellowship leading to the award of PhD
Project Outline
Anal carcinoma incidence is increasing globally on the background of an ageing population living longer often with co-morbidities. There is an unmet need to deliver physically and biologically informed personalised and stratified radiotherapy to address inequalities which exist in this cancer population that are underrepresented in clinical trials. Automated body composition analysis using standard of care cross-sectional imaging offers the opportunity to objectively assess frailty in patients before and after treatment and could help stratify treatment decisions.
This project will utilise multidisciplinary anal cancer/radiotherapy clinical trial expertise and established Manchester/Leeds collaborations in imaging biomarker analysis converging this around an internationally leading platform trial (PLATO) led by Leeds to explore imaging-derived measures of frailty in real world datasets already available at both institutions with prospective trial datasets.
The PhD candidate will embed within high calibre collaborative academic groups at both centres and review published literature on imaging-based frailty assessment in pelvic radiotherapy. They will then utilise established real world and clinical trial imaging datasets alongside an automated analysis pipeline to study imaging-markers of frailty in anal cancer before and after treatment. They will explore the causal pathway between frailty and treatment outcomes.
They will also help design an imaging sub-study within a future multi-centre trial (PLATO2) testing if imaging frailty assessment using automated body composition analysis can appropriately stratify patients with anal cancer for treatment.
Applications for this project are now open. Please complete your application on The University of Leeds website.
About Dr Russell Frood (project Lead Supervisor)
Dr Russell Frood is a CRUK Clinical Trials Fellow at the University of Leeds and an Honorary Consultant Radiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. He is an early career researcher who gained his PhD from the University of Leeds in March 2023 focused on PET/CT based machine learning in outcome prediction in lymphoma. He has expertise in imaging biomarker predictive modelling which is reflected by a trajectory with a track record of high-quality publications, software innovations, invited presentations and being invited to be the first Advisory Editor role in Artificial Intelligence on the Clinical Radiology journal Editorial Board.
Key information
Before submitting an application, please ensure you have read the information below about the funding arrangements and eligibility for the Leeds-Manchester Clinical Research Training Fellowships.
We also encourage you to get in contact with the lead supervisor to discuss the project and any particulars.
Further information is available on the Clinical Research Training Fellowships webpage.
The clinical fellowships are usually tenable for three years, although in certain circumstances they may be four years duration.
The Fellowship covers:
- running expenses,
- an appropriate salary in line with the applicant’s current salary and grade
- full coverage of University PhD fees at the UK/home fee rate.
International Candidates
The University of Manchester aims to support the most outstanding applicants from outside the UK.
We are able to offer a limited number of bursaries to high-performing EU and international candidates, covering PhD fees only. Bursaries do not include financial support for visa/health surcharges.
We assess each EU and international candidate’s suitability for a bursary at the application and interview stages.
You must be a post-registration clinician, and ideally have a specialist post in a related subject, to apply for our Clinical Research Training Fellowships.
You should also hold, or be about to obtain, a minimum upper second class (or equivalent) undergraduate degree in a relevant subject. A related master’s degree would be an advantage.
It is generally expected that CRTFs will return to a training programme in the UK upon completion of their research degree.
International applicants (including EU nationals) must ensure they meet the academic eligibility criteria (including English Language) before contacting potential supervisors to express an interest in their project. Eligibility information can be found on the University’s Country Specific information page.
Key dates
- Applications open: 11th October 2024
- Application deadline: 15th November 2024
- Interviews: 17th January 2025
- Start date: September 2025
Useful Links
Submit your application
Interested in applying for this opportunity? Go to The University of Manchester website to submit your application.
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