CURRICULUM VITAE -

PROFESSOR JOHN K FIELD BA, MA, PhD, BDS, FRCPath. 
 

John Field is a Clinical Professor of Molecular Oncology, Department of Surgery and Oncology, School of Cancer Studies, University of Liverpool. He read Genetics at Trinity College Dublin (1974), PhD in University of Wales (1997), Research Fellow in Biochemistry University of Liverpool (1977-1980), followed by his clinical training in the University of Liverpool (BDS,1985), MRCPath (1995), FRCPath (2001).   He is the Director of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Research Programme and PI of the EU Early Lung Cancer Project with 14 centres throughout Europe.  He is the CI of the UK Lung Cancer Screening Trial (UKLS), which is currently being evaluated by the HTA and Chair of the EU Spiral CT Lung Cancer Collaboration since 2001; to work with all screening trials in Europe and USA. He has arranged four Molecular Biomarkers workshops in Liverpool, six international CT Screening Collaborative Meetings 2001-2009, as well as the first major International Lung Cancer Conference in the UK (ILCCL2008), which was supported and accredited by IASLC.  Served on the (UK) NCRI Lung Cancer Clinical Studies Group (2001-), Chair of the Lung Cancer CSG Translational Group.   John Field’s research funding (>£10m) has included support from the EU, MRC, CRUK, NWCRF, HTA-DoH and the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation over the past years.  The Liverpool Lung Project has formed the basis of a large case-control and cohort population (>11,000 individuals) with specimens, which has provided the data to build the LLP Lung Cancer Risk Prediction Model, as well as develop and validate early detection molecular biomarkers, and major susceptibility collaboration with IARC and CNG. He has served on the IASLC Early Detection and Prevention Committee (2005-), ILLCO Committee (2004-). He is the author of over 170 international (peer reviewed) papers in his area of expertise and has given more than 200 presentations at medical and scientific conferences around the world. 
 

What new and expanded activities would you like the IASLC to accomplish over the next four years? 
 

The IASLC should host Biomarkers Workshops, which focus on how to bring potential markers into the clinical setting for both early detection and for the clinical stratification of patients entering clinical trials.  Unfortunately, we have few validated assays which may be used in the clinical setting.  Considering the amount of money invested in this field, it is extremely disappointing that we don’t have IASLC agreed protocols for specific biomarkers which have been validated across a number of international laboratories.

The IASLC should have a much greater profile in the early lung cancer screening debates, even though we still have to await the outcome of the current international RCTs.  In the meantime, IASLC should be starting to consider how to provide assistance in the planning discussions for national lung cancer screening programmes, in the time we are awaiting the outcome of the RCT’s.  
 

How will you help the IASLC to accomplish these goals? 
 

The IASLC Early Detection & Prevention Committee needs to take a leadership role in the discussions concerning the selection and validation of molecular biomarkers for use in early lung cancer detection studies as well as for patient stratification in intervention trials. I would wish to organise IASLC workshops, utilising experts in the field to review the current status of specific biomarkers and develop strategies by which these biomarkers maybe validated and agreed SOP are put in place, thus providing assay reproducibility and setting standards for all international trials utilising these biomarkers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
 

In addition, I would be prepared to assist in the organisation of IASLC specialist workshops to discuss how to implement CT screening programmes, if the current RCT’s provide positive results. We should not wait for the outcomes of these trials and then start to discuss how to implement national screening programmes. The IASLC could take a leadership role in setting up the discussions concerning implementation plans for developing potential national Lung Cancer Screening programmes. 
 

These recommendations would be taken through the IASLC Early Detection and Prevention Committee and developed in association with its current membership.