Development of Scandium-47 Theranostics from production to bedside

About the Project

Current clinical care of cancers relies on imaging of the tumour for diagnosis and therapeutic interventions (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy) performed separately, sometimes several weeks apart. Critically, during this time, the tumour has the opportunity to grow and spread. In this project, we seek to combine both imaging and therapy into a match-paired theranostic treatment. This has the potential to inhibit tumour growth directly following diagnosis, by using the same intervention, i.e. with two different isotopes of the same element, one for imaging and one for therapy. This project will utilise a “theranostic pair” in which two radionuclides of the same element are used (44/47Sc). This approach has the advantage of providing identical biological distribution between the imaging and therapy ensuring accurate diagnosis, dosimetry, and monitoring of disease progression. To do this we must improve the supply of the radionuclides, with this PhD opportunity focusing on the development of 47Sc for therapy and 44Sc for PET imaging, alongside the development of the targeting agent for brain tumours.

This project aims to develop 44/47Sc theranostics for brain tumours:

1. Developing methodology for production and purification of 47Sc
2. Developing 44/47Sc bioconjugate for glioma
3. Validate the theranostic of 44/47Sc in glioma models

Funding Notes

Funding Package (3.5 years Fully Funded)

• Tuition Fees: Covered for Home students.
• Stipend: £23,805 (2026-27 UKRI rate), paid monthly and tax-free.
• Research Training Support Grant (RTSG): Up to £10,500 for research costs and conference attendance.

Informal enquiries to supervisors are welcome, but all candidates must follow the application process outlined on the Multiscale Medical Imaging website (View Website) and submit an application via King’s College London by the stated deadline to be considered.