PhD Scholarship in Multi-diagnostic Liquid Biopsy for Renal Cancer Patients

A 3-year position as a PhD candidate at the Department of Urology, Zealand University Hospital, is available for commencement as of October 1st, 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter. The project is a national study in which patients with both malignant and benign kidney tumors donate blood and urine samples. These samples will be analyzed for various biomarkers to identify differences between tumor types and to prevent overtreatment.

The PhD project is fully funded for the first year by the Urological Research Unit at Zealand University Hospital. The project is anchored at the Urological Research Unit at Zealand University Hospital and Naestved Hospital.

Urological Research Unit

The Urological Research Unit is a multidisciplinary research unit conducting clinical translational and epidemiological research in urology. The unit participates in international multicenter studies, particularly in the development and testing of new treatments for kidney cancer patients. Additionally, the unit oversees teaching and mentoring of students at all academic levels. The Research Unit has a dynamic staff including research-active physicians, postdocs, PhD and medical students, two professors, two project nurses, and an administrative research worker. The Unit is led by Senior Research Lecturer Consultant Nessn Azawi.

Project Description

Kidney cancer, also known as renal cell carcinoma (RCC), is the most common malignant kidney tumor and consists of various subtypes. Annually, about 137,000 people in Europe, 76,000 in North America, and 403,000 globally are diagnosed with kidney cancer. The most common subtype of RCC is clear cell (ccRCC), which accounts for about 75% of all malignant kidney tumors. At diagnosis, about 20% of patients already have metastases. The rest have localized cancer and are offered curative treatment, typically surgical removal of the affected kidney. Of those treated curatively, about 20% will relapse within five years. The current standard for follow-up is radiological imaging, usually CT scans of the chest and abdomen at regular intervals. Nonetheless, about 30% of relapses are detected outside these protocols. Only about 10% of patients with relapse can potentially be cured. Therefore, an optimal method for follow-up and early detection of relapse is unclear.

Objectives:

- Identify risk factors for RCC progression and develop predictive algorithms to prevent overtreatment of RCC (Work Package (WP) 1).

- Determine the accuracy and feasibility of liquid biopsy (combination of biomarkers) for diagnosing RCC, predicting relapse, and relapse-free survival (RFS) after treatment (WP2).

- Develop and validate new algorithms using established nomograms/algorithms and identified biomarkers that can improve the accuracy of RCC diagnosis and detection of relapse (WP3).

Supervisors

- Main Supervisor: Senior Research Lecturer Consultant PhD Nessn Azawi, Urological Department, Zealand University Hospital.

- Primary Co-supervisor: Professor Consultant PhD Ole Birger Vesterager Pedersen, Næstved Hospital.

- Co-supervisor: Professor Axel Bex, Centre for Kidney Cancer, Division of Surgical and Interventional Science, Royal Free London NHS Foundation.

- Co-supervisor: Clinical Lecturer Saeed Dabestani, Kristianstad Central Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Sweden.

- Other co-supervisors: To be announced.

Job Description

The project is conducted as an independent 3-year research project in close collaboration with supervisors and the steering group members. Tasks include:

- Completion of the trial protocol in collaboration with supervisors and steering group.

- Application for funding for years 2 and 3.

- Submission of notifications to relevant institutions including the Scientific Ethics Committee.

- Responsibility for the implementation and dissemination of the project to participating actors.

- Project coordination with daily responsibility for planning and execution of research project tasks, data collection, and data processing.

- Participation in clinical treatments of project patients.

- Preparation of PhD thesis including publication in international journals.

- Data handling

- Bioinformatics

The PhD thesis must be article-based and the applicant must meet the mandatory requirements for course participation equivalent to about 30 ECTS points of teaching and preferably a stay in another, possibly international, research environment during the scholarship. There will be opportunities for participation in national and international congresses for knowledge sharing and establishing research networks.

Qualifications

The applicant must have a master's degree in medicine, biomedical sciences, molecular medicine, or molecular biology. The applicant should have a keen interest in clinical research and the urological specialty. The applicant may have been employed in an introductory position but does not need to have completed clinical basic training. It is important that the applicant thrives in a daily environment that includes patient-oriented clinical research, coordination of research projects, and scientific processing of generated data. Experience in clinical research, especially quantitative methods, is an advantage. We prioritize knowledge sharing and collaboration highly, and it is expected that the applicant will participate and contribute to the Unit's scientific development. The applicant should be proactive, solution-oriented, and structured, and must be proficient in English at an academic level, both written and spoken.

Terms of Employment

The position as a PhD student is full-time and limited to 3 years. The position is available for commencement as of October 1st, 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter. It is a prerequisite that the candidate is enrolled as a PhD student at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen. Salary, pension, and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Regional Pay and Tariff Committee and the Young Doctors' Association with the Regions.

Application

The application must be submitted electronically by clicking on the "Apply for job" link. The following documents should be attached to the application:

- A motivated application in Danish of about one A4 page (cover letter).

- CV including educational background, experience, language skills, and other relevant qualifications.

- Diploma (if the degree has not been completed at the time of application, an updated transcript of grades should be attached).

- Possible publication list (all types of publications should be included).

Application Procedure

The selection committee consists of:

- Senior Research Lecturer Consultant PhD Nessn Azawi, Urological Department, Zealand University Hospital.

- Professor Consultant PhD Ole Birger Vesterager Pedersen, Næstved Hospital.

The application deadline is September 1st, 2024. Applications submitted after this time will not be considered. Interviews are expected to take place in week 33.

For further information about the position, please contact Senior Research Lecturer Consultant PhD Nessn Azawi by email: [xxxxx] or phone: [xxxxx].

General information about the PhD program at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen can be found here: [xxxxx]