Clinical Research Fellow - Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy Clinical

Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health

Position Details

Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health

Location:

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,551 to £79,898

Grade:
Clinical

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to 3 years

Closing date: 25 th October 2026

The University of Birmingham has recently been awarded a £5M research grant to conduct a randomised placebo-controlled trial of oral vancomycin, as a treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis (the VITALITY study).

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an autoimmune liver condition that most often occurs in association with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although rare (prevalence ~7 per 100,000), PSC represents a a major unmet need, with no licensed medical therapy proven to slow disease progression. Consequently, PSC is a lead indication for liver transplantation. Moreover, the disease recurs in approximately 30% of individuals post‑transplant.

The presence and activity of IBD is also linked with the development and progression of PSC liver disease – early colectomy conferring lower risks of needing a liver transplant whereas colectomy before or at the time of transplant reduces the incidence of recurrent disease. Moreover, the abundance of certain gut microorganisms associated with poorer transplant‑free survival. Adoptive faecal transfer studies have also shown that stool from people living with PSC is able to induce liver disease in germ‑free mice.

To this effect, preliminary clinical trial results showed that the non‑absorbable antibiotic, oral vancomycin, is able to induce remission in colitis activity amongst patients with PSC‑IBD as well as improve liver blood tests.

The current project looks to build upon these early observations, by conducting a confirmatory validation study, wherein individuals with PSC‑IBD will be treated with one of two dosages of oral vancomycin or placebo, as part of an international multicentre phase 2b/3 clinical trial.

By combining a multi‑omic approach with high‑level clinical data, the candidate will look to characterise specific biological pathways that will be able to predict response to oral vancomycin treatment in an attempt to refine its target product profile.

This vacancy is for a clinical research fellow (CRF) working as part of the VITALITY research team, within the institute of Inflammation, Infection and Immunity (III) at the University of Birmingham. The post will deliver a mixed job role working within the Birmingham Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials’ Unit (CRCTU) to deliver the trial, alongside the Institute of III to fulfil translational research objectives.

The post-holder will contribute to the creation of knowledge by undertaking a specified range of activities within an established research project, specifically a Life Arc funded Clinical Trial. The CRF will lead on delivery of this trial, driving trial setup and participant recruitment in collaboration with CRCTU and University Hospitals Birmingham. They will supervise and undertake sample collection including colonscopic biopsies, and blood and stool samples, and ensure that participant electronic case record forms (eCRFs) and clinical databases are updated throughout the study.

The post holder will benefit from the infrastructure and expertise in the institute as well as the track record of delivering patient cohort studies and clinical trials. This job role will be full time (100% FTE) for three years The post-holder will be expected to register…