Clinical Research Fellow in Pathology Full-time

Clinical Research Fellow in Pathology

UCL Cancer Institute (UCL CI) is a state-of-the-art institute to consolidate cancer research at UCL and promote links with our partner teaching hospitals, in order to support excellence in basic and translational studies. The Institute draws together talented scientists who are working together to translate research discoveries into developing kinder, more effective therapies for cancer patients. It is a Cancer Research UK and Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, and contains approximately 580 staff, including 120 PhD and MD (Res) students and 40 MSc students.

We are seeking to appoint a pathologist as a Clinical Research Fellow in prostate cancer histopathology. This role represents an opportunity for a motivated pathologist to develop their academic and molecular pathology experience and work on an exciting and first-of-its-kind study interrogating the treatment resistance and predicting outcomes by detailed longitudinal studies on patients randomised in the STAMPEDE2 trial.

The STAMPEDE trial was the first multi-arm multi-stage platform trial to open (in 2004) and to date has contributed to several large-scale changes in the management of patients with advanced prostate cancer.

Over the past few years we have used molecular tests for biomarker-based stratification and for interrogating disease biology that underlies treatment resistance.

STAMPEDE2 was initiated in 2023 and builds on STAMPEDE1, to further improve the outcomes of metastatic patients. The trials are conducted by the Innovative CTU at UCL working closely with the Trial Management Group. STAMPEDE2 is randomly allocating patients with high volume metastatic prostate cancer (N=1500) to the radioligand therapy 177Lu-PSMA-617. Patients who consent to STAMPEDE-Life will donate plasma at every point of disease progression and have the option to participate in the post-mortem study (PEACE, Posthumous Evaluation of Advanced Cancer Environment). In this programme, recently funded by Prostate Cancer UK, we will track resistant clones after treatment and define mechanisms of resistance to radioligand therapy and how early use of treatment impacts the evolution to treatment-resistant disease. The team will also work closely with scientists studying biopsies of residual disease obtained after radioligand therapy.

The programme aims to integrate molecular pathology with detailed genomic and clinical datasets across different tumour types, in order to map the dynamics of the TME from early to late stage disease and in response to therapies.

The Treatment Resistance Team led by Professor Gerhardt Attard is a multi-disciplinary team focusing on studying treatment resistance in advanced urological cancers. The group has been integrating solid tumour and circulating cell-free DNA genomics, transcriptomics and epigenomics with functional studies to track tumour clone dynamics in patients progressing through multiple lines of treatment.

The aim is to identify cancer vulnerabilities to be exploited therapeutically and design clinical trials of biomarker-directed strategies for rational treatment selection and sequencing.

The position is available for 3 years in the first instance, with the possibility of extension.

Applications should include a CV and a Cover Letter: In the Cover Letter please provide evidence of the essential and desirable criteria in the Person Specification part of the Job Description. (By including a Cover Letter, you can leave blank the 'Why you have applied for this role' field in the application form, which is limited in the number of characters it will allow.)

We seek an applicant who has experience in pathology and is familiar with prostate cancer histology. They will ideally have some experience in cancer research and molecular pathology and be able to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team of scientists, bioinformaticians and academics from other medical specialities, plus technical and support staff.

The post holder will be involved in artificial intelligence digital pathology projects through application of this technology within these landmark patient cohorts and have the opportunity to lead projects in this field.

As part of the appointment the candidate is expected to compete for and complete a PhD.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme
• Staff Support Service Discounted medical insurance

For rewards and benefits at UCL please visit:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/