DrAdam Frampton

BSc(Hons), MSc, PhD, DIC, MBBS, FRCS (Gen Surg), MRCSEd, FRSB, FESSR, DipMedTox

Professor Adam Frampton is a surgeon-scientist and currently an Honorary Clinical Lecturer working in the Department of Surgery & Cancer at Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London. He completed his General & HPB Surgical training on the London Deanery (South-West Thames) rotation, and is a Consultant General & HPB Surgeon at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, Surrey and Head of Oncology at the University of Surrey, Guildford.

Adam undertook his undergraduate medical training at Charing Cross Hospital (ICSM) from 1997-2003 and achieved a First Class intercalated BSc(Hons) in Pharmacology and Toxicology at Imperial College.

He completed his Basic Surgical Training in Surrey and then spent a year doing Renal Transplant and Vascular Access Surgery at St. Georges Hospital, Tooting (2007-2008). At the same time he completed a MSc with Merit in Surgical Practice.

He joined the HPB Surgical Unit at the Hammersmith Hospital in 2009 as a Clinical Research Fellow to develop the TVoSS (True Value of Surgical Services) clinical coding project and undertake a period of basic science and translational research. He was awarded his PhD in Molecular Oncology in 2014, working under the supervision of Dr Leandro Castellano, Professor Justin Stebbing and Professor Long Jiao.

Adam won the Moynihan Prize in May 2017 for his research, which is the most prestigious scientific award given by the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland (ASGBI). Adam was then elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) in July 2017 for his contributions to small RNA and cancer biology.

Adam was awarded the distinguished Hunterian Professorship by the Royal College of Surgeons of England in May 2018, and was elected as Fellow of the European Society of Surgical Research (FESSR) in June 2018.

Adam continue to run a lab group at the Hammersmith Hospital campus with Dr Jonathan Krell investigating Molecular Oncogenetics. His research aims are to discover crucial microRNAs involved in the development and progression of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), as well as elucidating their mechanistic roles. He is also investigating the role of microRNAs as biomarkers for improving pre-operative diagnosis and stratification, and also as possible targets for therapy. 

Adam is a specialist in all benign and cancerous disorders of the liver, pancreas and biliary-tract, in particular he is an expert in pancreatic cancer. His surgical interests include:

• minimally invasive / robotic pancreatic and liver surgery
• acute / chronic pancreatitis
• complex gallstone disease, gallbladder surgery and bile duct stones
• abnormal liver function tests / jaundice
• pancreatic cysts
• liver cysts
• neuroendocrine tumours
• liver metastases
• second opinion for patients with pancreatic cancer or biliary-tract cancer
• investigation and surveillance of patients with a family history of pancreatic cancer or hereditary pancreatitis

Private Surgery website: Adam Frampton

Adam's academic interests include:

1. Cancer-biomarkers and theranostics. For example, the function of non-coding RNAs in the development and progression of pancreatico biliary cancers, in order to improve early diagnosis, refine risk stratification and monitor treatment response using molecular biomarkers obtained from liquid biopsies (blood, bile, cyst fluid). In parallel, the study of extracellular vesicles and their molecular-cargo as potential diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets. He is Chief-Investigator for MIRABILE and CIRCUS.
2. The cancer microbiome and exercise influence tumour behaviour and immune responses. This has expanded our work into spatial biology using advanced protein‑ and transcript‑mapping platforms. He is Chief-Investigator for OPTIMUS and EXO‑PANC, which examine prescribed-exercise as an immunomodulatory strategy in oesophageal and pancreatic cancers. The question is: Can exercise improve cancer outcomes and what are the mechanisms?
3. Developing new immune based treatment approaches to cancer. This includes identifying novel immune targets and overcoming mechanisms that suppress anti tumour responses. 
4. Combining cancer-surgery with translational research to maintain close alignment between clinical questions and scientific-investigation and applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to clinical decision making and multi-omics data-analysis.

Adam is also trustee for 2 cancer-research charities:

• BRIGHT bowel, liver and pancreatic cancer charity
• Topic of Cancer: the UK's only charity for research into cancer immunotherapy

Adam is funded by grants from:

Pancreatic Cancer UK

CRUK 
Academy of Medical Sciences
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Royal College of Surgeons of England 
Ralph Bates Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund
Action Against Cancer