Overview

Cohort: 8
PhD start date: August 2024

I am a neurosurgical resident with a special interest in neuro-oncology.

I graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2019, where I also completed an intercalated MPhil degree in neuro-oncology. I completed my Academic Foundation Programme there in 2021.

Afterwards, I moved to Manchester to start an Academic Clinical Fellowship in Neurosurgery. I was awarded a 4Ward North PhD Fellowship in 2024.

PhD title

Characterising the immune microenvironment of meninges in patients with a vestibular schwannoma.

Brief summary of PhD project

The meninges are physical protective layers surrounding the brain and are now also recognised as hubs of immune activity. The interaction between the meningeal immune system and the central nervous system is now studied across a range of brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury and stroke, but research is largely restricted to animal models.

Very little is known of the immune composition of the human meninges in normal physiology, how this immune microenvironment affects regulation of brain tumours, such as vestibular schwannoma, and how meningeal immune response in such patients may affect clinical outcomes such as mental health. This PhD aims to assess the relationship between the meninges and the tumour, using analyses at both tissue and single-cell level.

Key collaborators/supervisors

• Professor Kevin Couper, The University of Manchester (primary supervisor)
• Dr Andrew Greenhalgh, The University of Manchester (co-supervisor)
• Professor Omar Pathmanaban, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (co-supervisor)
• Dr Laura Jardine, University of Newcastle (co-supervisor)

Specialty interest/techniques

• Vestibular schwannoma
• Meningioma
• Prognostic models
• Spatial proteomics/transcriptomics
• Bioinformatics

Career aspirations

This PhD will support my development as an academic neurosurgeon.

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