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LOCATION

Office: Old Road Campus Research Building (off Roosevelt Drive), Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ

Lab: Radiobiology Research Institute, Churchill Hospital, Headington, Oxford

Collaborators

Joakim Lundberg, SciLifeLab

Nitzan Rosenfeld, Non-Invasive Diagnostics

Gail Risbridger, Prostate Cancer Research Laboratory, Monash University and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne

Declan Murphy, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne

Biography

Specialist Training: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK

Fellowship Training: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia

Born in Edinburgh, but growing up and schooled in South Oxfordshire, I did initial medical training at Oxford (Corpus Christi College) and Edinburgh Universities, followed by registrar training as an ACF/ACL in Cambridge from 2007 to 2016. During this time, I did my PhD with Professor David Neal on the molecular genetics of prostate cancer at the CRUK Cambridge Institute. I undertook specialty fellowship training with Associate Professor Declan Murphy at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia from 2016 to 2017 before appointment by Professor Freddie Hamdy to an academic consultant post in Oxford in April 2017.

Alastair Lamb

MA(Oxon), MBChB, PhD(Cantab), FRCS(Urol)


Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist, SPACE Group Leader

  • Senior Fellow in Robotic Surgery
  • Honorary Consultant Urologist

Current Research Interests

My research goal is to provide a robust molecular platform for accurate decision-making in early stage prostate cancer. I have spent my scientific training investigating how individual genes or groups of genes have driven prostate cancer behaviour. My PhD thesis investigated the role of HES6 as a transcriptional driver in castrate resistant prostate cancer – we found that this single gene fundamentally changed the nature of prostate cancer cells. During this time I was funded by the Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR) and GlaxoSmithKline, and also by a Raymond and Beverly Sackler Studentship. Subsequently, I developed an interest in integrated genomics in prostate cancer risk stratification as well as disease modelling with patient derived xenografts. In October 2018, I commenced a five-year Cancer Research UK funded Clinician Scientist Fellowship to undertake the SPACE Study, a translational research programme centred on identification the ‘lethal clone’ in high risk localised prostate cancer incorporating integrated genomics of targeted biopsies, spatial transcriptomics of whole prostates and data-driven tracking of clonal phylogenetics including in micro-metastatic disease. I also have an interest in novel molecular imaging techniques such as PSMA PET-CT and their use in disease stratification and decision-making before, during and after radical therapies. I am co-chief investigator of the TRANSLATE Trial and a local investigator for the PROMOTE, PART & FINESSE trials as well as TROMBONE which is now closed. 

CLINICAL INTERESTS

My clinical focus is to deliver excellent and timely prostate cancer care to men referred to our team from the Oxford regional area, focussing on state-of-the-art diagnostics with multiparametric MRI and targeted transperineal biopsies, followed by robotic-radical prostatectomy (RARP) or indeed active surveillance where appropriate. Complimentary treatment modalities such as radiation or brachytherapy are provided by other members of our dedicated prostate cancer team. I have a particular interest in developments relating to minimal access surgery (MIS) surgery and simulated training, and in investigating the role of robotic surgery in locally advanced or metastatic disease. 

Genetic mapping of tumours: New breakthroughs in prostate cancer

Alastair Lamb, Sandy Figiel, Dimitrios Doultsinos and colleagues from NDS's Prostate Biology Group discuss the findings of a recent paper published in Nature, the spatial prostate biology programme in Oxford, the potential for future collaborations and the hope that these findings will improve care of patients with prostate cancer.

Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery

Dr Alastair Lamb gives a talk for 134th Sri Lankan Medical Congress.

The Spatial Landscape of Gene Expression and Genome Integrity in Benign and Malignant Tissue

Dr Alastair Lamb and Dr Joakim Lundeberg present a GenomeWeb Webinar.

Surgical Grand Round

As part of the Surgical Grand Rounds lecture series, Dr Alastair Lamb presents 'Prostate cancer genomic surgery: A shifting paradigm'.

Prostate cancer breakthrough

Dr Alastair Lamb speaks to ITV News Anglia about his prostate cancer research at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and Addenbrooke's Hospital. The study identified five different genetic groups of the disease, which could one day help patients find out how aggressive their form of cancer is and help them decide whether or not they need to be treated with radical surgery.