Research Officer - MEDR
| Posting date: | 24 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £39,355 to £45,413 per year, pro rata |
| Additional salary information: | together with USS pension benefits |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 07 August 2025 |
| Location: | Swansea, Wales |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Swansea University |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | SU01125 |
Summary
This is a Fixed Term role until May 2026 working 17.5 hours per week.
We are seeking a highly talented and enthusiastic individual to support a clinical research study aimed at better understanding intestinal cancer development in patients with an inherited predisposition to cancer (MUTYH-Associated Polyposis, MAP). This is a part time (50% FTE) appointment on a fixed term contract for 9 months. The project is led by Dr Laura Thomas (Swansea University Medical School) and is funded by MEDR, Wales’s Commission for Tertiary Education and Research.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the UK’s 4th most common cancer, associated with a significant healthcare burden. Although most CRC cases are sporadic, up to 35% are due to inherited factors. This includes the genetic condition MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP), wherein patients develop numerous colorectal polyps, significantly increasing lifetime CRC risk up to 90%, with a 63% cumulative risk by age 60. MAP patients are additionally at high-risk for duodenal cancer and other extra-colonic manifestations.
The clinical spectrum of intestinal disease in MAP is not well understood. MAP has highly variable disease presentation, even within families with the same genetic mutation, and advanced disease develops despite adherence to current management guidelines. The effectiveness of current clinical guidelines in MAP for preventing disease development have not been studied. Importantly, there are no long-term prospective studies of disease development in MAP. We hypothesise that given these existing gaps in knowledge, current clinical guidelines do not adequately detect and manage elevated risk of intestinal disease development and progression in MAP patients.
For this project, the post holder will obtain and maintain patient data (including covering governance and contracts for data collection) from partners within an international consortium. They will utilise the largest prospectively collected clinical dataset of MAP patients to identify disease-development and progression-associated factors. The dataset will provide an evidence-base for developing future clinical recommendations on the management of patients with MAP.
We are seeking a highly talented and enthusiastic individual to support a clinical research study aimed at better understanding intestinal cancer development in patients with an inherited predisposition to cancer (MUTYH-Associated Polyposis, MAP). This is a part time (50% FTE) appointment on a fixed term contract for 9 months. The project is led by Dr Laura Thomas (Swansea University Medical School) and is funded by MEDR, Wales’s Commission for Tertiary Education and Research.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the UK’s 4th most common cancer, associated with a significant healthcare burden. Although most CRC cases are sporadic, up to 35% are due to inherited factors. This includes the genetic condition MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP), wherein patients develop numerous colorectal polyps, significantly increasing lifetime CRC risk up to 90%, with a 63% cumulative risk by age 60. MAP patients are additionally at high-risk for duodenal cancer and other extra-colonic manifestations.
The clinical spectrum of intestinal disease in MAP is not well understood. MAP has highly variable disease presentation, even within families with the same genetic mutation, and advanced disease develops despite adherence to current management guidelines. The effectiveness of current clinical guidelines in MAP for preventing disease development have not been studied. Importantly, there are no long-term prospective studies of disease development in MAP. We hypothesise that given these existing gaps in knowledge, current clinical guidelines do not adequately detect and manage elevated risk of intestinal disease development and progression in MAP patients.
For this project, the post holder will obtain and maintain patient data (including covering governance and contracts for data collection) from partners within an international consortium. They will utilise the largest prospectively collected clinical dataset of MAP patients to identify disease-development and progression-associated factors. The dataset will provide an evidence-base for developing future clinical recommendations on the management of patients with MAP.