Phd Studentship - FLASH proton radiotherapy for glioblastoma

A PhD studentship is available in the UCL Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering supervised by Dr John Fenwick and Professor Maria Hawkins.

The studentship is funded for 4 years by the CRUK RadNet City of London Centre and its aim is to create the building blocks for cutting-edge ultra-high dose-rate proton treatment of glioblastoma. Funding will be at least the CRUK minimum of £23,000 per annum non-taxable.

Radiotherapy (RT) plays a key role in the multimodal treatment of glioblastoma. Long-term survival rates achieved are currently low but improving. We therefore seek to develop new RT treatments that further improve survival without raising long-term toxicity, an increasingly important consideration as patients live longer.

Proton beam therapy delivers lower radiation doses to non-cancerous tissues than does X-ray RT, reducing toxicity. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that when RT is delivered at ultra-high (FLASH) dose-rates, treatment toxicities are reduced with little associated diminution in tumour cell-killing. Presently, ultra-high dose-rates can be achieved using clinical proton RT beams but not using photon systems.

The purpose of the project is to develop and characterize the potential of FLASH proton RT treatments of glioblastoma. Specifically, we wish to develop FLASH techniques that raise doses to the centre of the treatment target while delivering lower doses to the target edge, and to evaluate their likely impact.

To achieve this, a database of functional-MRI scans (https://crukradnet.colcc.ac.uk/cruk-radnet-city-of-london-seed-fund/) collected for glioblastoma patients at UCLH will be analysed, studying where recurrences occur and their dose-response. Methods will be developed for accurately and precisely conforming FLASH proton dose-distributions to target centre and edge regions.

Research aims:

1. To determine locations of glioblastomarecurrences from functional-MRI data. By combining this information with dose-response data, dose-prescription functions can be obtained and used to estimate possible gains from different combinations of FLASH proton dose-levels at the target centre and edge.

2. Investigate the use of spatially modulated ridge-filtersto accurately conform FLASH proton dose-distributions to the target centre and edge regions. Proton spot-scanning will also be investigated. Evaluate margins needed to account for residual uncertainties in stopping-power ratios calculated from spectral CT images. Stopping powers will be obtained from the CT data using state-of-the-art prediction algorithms.

First degree in physics, maths or engineering is required. Knowledge of statistics, radiation transport codes or CT reconstruction techniques would be useful.

A full studentship is available for home fee payers only.

This studentship covers the cost of tuition fees based on the UK (Home) rate.

NB: You will be asked about your likely fee status at the interview so we would advise you to contact the UCL Graduate Admissions Office for advice should you be unsure whether or not you meet the eligibility criteria for Home fee status.

Further information on Brexit and the definitions for fee status assessment can be found on the UCL website and also the UKCISA website (Higher Education: Definitions for fee status assessment).

Please complete the following steps to apply.

• Send an expression of interest and current CV to: fenwick@ucl.ac.ukand medphys.pgr@ucl.ac.uk. Please quote Project Code: 23003 in the email subject line.
• Make a formal application to via the UCL application portal https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/medical-physics-and-bioengineering-mphil-phd. Please select the programme code RRDMPHSING01 and enter Project Code 23003 under ‘Name of Award 1’

Please do not click the 'Apply Now' button next to the advert. See 'How to apply' above

Application Deadline: 20thMarch 2023