Professor Alastair Lamb

Background 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 – 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 Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia 2016-2017 before appointment by Professor Freddie Hamdy to an academic consultant post in Oxford in April 2017. 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. Since then, I have been employing integrative genomics in prostate cancer risk stratification as well as disease modelling with patient derived xenografts. I also have an interest in novel molecular imaging techniques such as 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT and their use in disease stratification and selection of patients for surgery. I am a local investigator for the ProMOTE, PART and TRoMbone studies.

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 pushing the boundaries of minimal access surgery (MIS), for example to performing cytoreductive radical prostectomy in locally advanced or metastatic disease and RARP in fit, older men where such approaches are deemed safe and evidence-based.