Congratulations to Dr Aqua Asif | News

Dr Aqua Asif, Academic Foundation Doctor, is celebrating the success of a prostate MRI study she has been championing, alongside colleagues at University College London (UCL).

The GLIMPSE study, alongside the PRIME trial, from UCL has made a pioneering advancement in the quality of MRI scans for prostate cancer screening, uncovering simple methods that can triple the number of scans that reach optimal diagnostic quality, a milestone that was proudly published in the Radiology journal.

The impact of the study is clear. It takes us closer to making MRI scans accessible for every man who needs one, enabling more precise cancer detection, accurate staging, and better treatment decisions.

Aqua is part of a small team including Dr Alexander Ng and Associate Professor Veeru Kasivisvanathan from UCL, who worked together to scrutinise 355 MRI scans from 41 medical centres around the world, discovering that only 32% of them were high enough quality to accurately detect cancer. 

Through constructive feedback and simple recommendations, the study has helped this figure to skyrocket to 97% accuracy and has contributed to making MRI’s more accessible and cost-effective.

The GLIMPSE team won First Prize for ‘Best Abstract by Resident’ at EAU 2023, Europe’s biggest urology conference, beating off 5,000 competitors. Aqua has also showcased the study at the world-renowned urology conference, AUA 2023 and won First Prize for Clinical Audit at the Royal Surrey Clinical Audit Day this year.

Her involvement in this body of work has significantly moulded Aqua’s career aspirations towards becoming an Academic Urologist.

She said: "The GLIMPSE study, alongside the PRIME trial, marks a significant leap in prostate cancer diagnosis. Elevating MRI scan quality from 32% to 97% isn’t just a statistic—it's a huge achievement towards better patient care globally."

 

“I want to thank the Royal Surrey Med Ed team and highlight the monumental role that mentorship and support play in fostering such ground-breaking healthcare advancements.

“I would not have been able to be part of the GLIMPSE study without the continuous support and unwavering encouragement from my Educational and Clinical Supervisors, my Foundation Programme Director and the Med Ed team.”