Stroke is the number one cause of disability in the Western world and the 3rd most common cause of death. The common treatment of ischemic stroke with clot dissolving enzymes has quite variable outcomes. In recent years, our MR CLEAN study has demonstrated that mechanical clot removal provides much improved patient outcome, and these results have been confirmed in several other clinical trials. Yet, despite these new treatment options, 2 out of 3 patients still have a poor outcome, partly related to obstruction and damage of the small arteries and capillaries that perfuse the brain tissue.

INSIST (IN-Silico trials for treatment of acute Ischemic Stroke, www.insist-h2020.eu) is a 4-years project run by a consortium of academic and industrial centers throughout Europe, coordinated by the AMC and financed by the European Commission under the H2020 framework programme. The main goal of INSIST is to advance treatments of ischemic stroke and its introduction in clinical practice by realizing in silico clinical stroke trials in which stroke and treatment are modeled.

As a Ph.D. student, you will be involved in running an In Silico trial assessing a novel device for endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke. In preparation of this trial you will help in building virtual populations of stroke patients from available clinical and imaging data. In particular, you will create a library of vessel geometries based on segmented arteries from CTA performed in a large group of stroke patients, create an extensive analysis of multiple thrombus features to be correlated with treatment benefit and ischemic core on imaging through an ischemic infarct core atlas.. For this project you will closely collaborate with clinicians, experimentalists and modeling experts at academic centers in among others Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Milan, Galway, Oxford, Leuven, Moscow and with medical device and pharma companies. 

A highly motivated PhD student with

• A M.Sc. degree in technical medicine, biomedical engineering, medicine or related.

• An academic mindset and willingness to collaborate in a truly multidisciplinary European team.

• Interest and skills in imaging and image analysis

• An interest in quantitative modelling and computer programming is appreciated

We offer:

• A unique Ph.D. position (“Onderzoeker in Opleiding”) within a large and strong network tackling ischemic stroke

• Local collaboration within an informal and highly international group

• A four-year program within the AMC graduate school

• A broad array of courses within the AMC or partner institutes

• An employment by AMC Medical Research BV;

• A salary in line with the Collective Labor Agreement for University Medical Centers in the Netherlands (CAO UMC). The gross monthly salary ranges from EUR 2,279.00 to EUR 2,919.00);

• A range of added fringe benefits, such as an annual bonus of 8.3 %, holiday allowance, collective discounted rates for a number of insurances, an attractive bicycle scheme and/or public transport allowance, and free parking.

AMC Medical Research

The AMC is more than just a hospital. It is a world in which patient care, research and education are integrated, and in which people are always central. It is an academic world full of possibilities for talented individuals that are looking for a place where they can excel. Thinking big, daring to dream, cooperating internationally. And never letting yourself be put off by ‘It’s not possible’ or ’It won’t work anyway’. That is the AMC mentality.

http://www.amc.nl/

You will work within the department of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering and Physics. Our research is focused on imaging and (endovascular) treatment of acute neurovascular diseases and is embedded in large national and international collaborations. We are a truly multidisciplinary group, including radiologists, neurologists, biomedical engineers and physicists. Our ‘Flow’ work addresses comprehensive image analysis and its impact on endovascular treatment in acute ischemic stroke. The departments are located in the AMC, a single building that combines all research, education and patient care, with very short connections between departments and excellent access to central research facilities.