A technology that uses microscopic bubbles to destroy cancer cells is being explored in a major new multi-disciplinary research centre in London.
The Convergence Science Centre has been created by Cancer Research UK as a joint project of Imperial College and the Institute of Cancer Research.
The bubbles project will use high frequency sound waves. Scientists envisage surrounding cells with bubbles and the using tightly focused sound waves to blow up the bubbles – breaking up the adjacent cancer cells.
Lord Ara Darzi, from Imperial College, said: “Through this new centre and the training opportunities it presents, we will instil the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration into tomorrow’s researchers.
“Data science, physics and engineering are already transforming the way we treat cancer; integrating the expertise and knowledge of these disciplines is key to future-proofing our important work.
“By creating a new generation of convergent scientists, we’re opening the door to new tools, devices and algorithms that we could never have imagined before.”
The director of the centre is Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research.
He said: “It’s fantastic to think that microbubbles could be used to blow cancer cells apart, and this is just one example of the exciting innovation we expect to see within the new Convergence Science Centre.
“Our new Centre will be a coming together of world-class researchers in fields such as engineering, physics, chemistry and AI, collaborating closely with outstanding biologists and clinicians to create new solutions to the critical challenges we face in cancer research, diagnosis and treatment. It will open exciting new frontiers in cancer research and lead to innovative treatments, tests and technologies for patients.”
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