New projects will lead to improved diagnosis, reduced side effects of existing treatments, and the development of new, more effective ones
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s National Measurement Institute, is bolstering its capabilities in cancer research to accelerate the development of next-generation technologies and techniques that promise to transform the way we care for cancer patients.
Cancer is a significant measurement challenge: it is only by building an understanding of the disease that we can improve our success in tackling it. For example, to improve chances of beating the disease we need the ability to map and measure from the whole tumour scale, through tissue and cellular levels, all the way down to the molecular scale.
NPL is now bolstering its capabilities to tackle the disease through a number of new projects:
– Creating a ‘Google Earth’ view of tumours – NPL is leading a team of scientists chosen by Cancer Research UK in their £100 million inaugural Grand Challenge competition
– Increasing biomedical imaging power to the sub-cellular level with its unmatched instrument, 3D OrbiSIMS, allowing more effective drug design
– Working with CERN to create novel radioisotopes for diagnostic, therapeutic and theranostic medical applications
– Developing a new breast cancer diagnosis method that delivers more accurate results and is less uncomfortable for patients
– Enabling greater confidence in radiotherapy leading to accelerated implementation of the most advanced techniques helping to ensure patients receive the same standard of treatment irrespective of where they receive their treatment
