Paul Lyon

I am currently in post as an Academic Clinical Fellow in Radiology. This follows time in research as a NIHR-funded Clinical Research Fellow studying for a DPhil in targeted drug delivery. More specifically, my research concerns the use of focused ultrasound (HIFU) for targeted drug delivery and its clinical translation. I am involved in conducting a Phase I clinical trial, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of using a clinical HIFU device in combination with a thermo-sensitive drug delivery system to deliver targeted chemotherapy to cancer patients with liver tumours (TARDOX study, NCT02181075). The study is multidisciplinary and I have been involved in many aspects including trial design, ethics and trial management, analytical laboratory techniques, use of focused ultrasound for hyperthermia and radiological imaging, with the world-class research facilities and expertise available within the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

This study has the potential for significant clinical impact as, if feasibility of targeted drug delivery using this modality can be successfully demonstrated for liver tumours, following further clinical trials, non-invasive targeted therapy using tailored chemotherapeutics for a variety of solid organ cancers could become a reality.