Health UK (Commonwealth Union) – Researchers at Heriot-Watt University are actively engaged in a significant £2 million initiative aimed at combating particularly challenging forms of cancer.
A dedicated team within the University’s Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences is collaborating with Imperial College London on a pioneering project. This joint effort is focused on developing precise methods for eradicating brain cancer cells using laser technology.
Imperial College’s project is one of four initiatives, each receiving £500,000 in funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC). These projects are united by the common goal of addressing cancers characterized by poor survival rates.
Heriot-Watt’s team is taking on the crucial role of conducting laser ablation, a process that involves the removal of tissue through exposure to a focused laser beam. This intricate step is then harmonized with Imperial’s cancer diagnostic technique, which relies on metabolic profiling equipment. These tools enable the precise analysis of molecular compositions, offering real-time insights into the cancer’s nature. This valuable information equips surgeons with the knowledge needed to make targeted treatment decisions, ultimately reducing the risk of cancer recurrence.
The project, aptly named “Developing Novel Technology for Data-Driven Clinical Decision Making,” is concentrated on a rapidly spreading and highly aggressive form of brain tumor known as Glioblastoma (GBM). This collaborative effort represents a promising step forward in the fight against these formidable cancers, holding the potential to improve patient outcomes and enhance our understanding of their complex nature.
Dr. Lauren Ford, a Research Fellow at Imperial College in the Department of Metabolism, Digestion, and Reproduction, leads this crucial project. She emphasized the grave and incurable nature of Glioblastoma brain tumors and the pressing need for effective treatment options. Dr. Ford stressed that the extent of surgical resection of GBM tumors significantly influences patient survival, but this must be balanced with the potential for damage to healthy brain tissue, which can profoundly impact a patient’s quality of life.
In all cases, Dr. Ford pointed out that some cancer cells invariably remain, necessitating radiochemotherapy as a follow-up treatment. However, this subsequent therapy merely delays tumor regrowth and, ultimately, patient mortality by an average of three months.
At Heriot-Watt University, Professor Jonathan Shephard, a specialist in Applied Optics and Photonics within the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, leads the team. Professor Shephard is renowned for his expertise in developing high-power laser processes for surgical applications and pioneering novel laser techniques for medical use.
Professor Shephard highlighted the extraordinary capabilities of lasers, which can be precisely focused to deliver energy that vaporizes material in an extremely confined area without affecting or heating the surrounding tissue. Lasers, therefore, possess the potential to surgically remove tumor tissue with unprecedented precision while leaving crucial healthy tissue intact. In this groundbreaking project, the team will explore the fine-tuning of laser parameters to enable simultaneous tissue removal and the generation of a vapor plume containing valuable biological information. This data could revolutionize the diagnostic process, offering insights that surpass the capabilities of current surgical tools.
“The aim is to provide a more complete removal of the tumour and a highly customised treatment pathway to tackle recurrence. Funding such as this scheme, that allow adventurous research ideas, enables us to investigate new combinations of technologies which have the potential to transform cancer treatment in the future.”
Michelle Donelan, the Science and Technology Secretary of the United Kingdom, expressed her thoughts on the funding allocation, indicating that via their investment in pioneering, high-risk, high-reward approaches, which include artificial intelligence, they are endorsing their ambitious and world-class researchers. They are poised to build upon the foundations of generations of discoveries and extend the opportunity for more individuals to lead long and healthy lives.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) serves as a national funding agency with a mission to finance research endeavors aimed at preventing diseases, crafting therapies, and enhancing human health.
