Treating
Scientists at QMUL and around the world are trying many different approaches to removing or killing the cancer cells in the bodies of patients.
In order to try out their ideas they need to find people to test the new medicines or treatments. People with weak immune systems are more likely to get cancer. The immune system plays a vital part in killing cancer cells at an early stage.
Skin treated by the cream.
Skin left untreated by the cream.
People who have had organ transplants get more skin cancer than other people because their immune systems are weak. Charlotte Proby and her team, at QMUL, are using a new cream which will boost the transplant patients' immune systems within their skin.
The same person, 22 days later, after using viruses and radiotherapy to kill cancer cells.
There are very slight differences between the outside of normal cells and cancer cells. Nick Lemoine and his team at QMUL are trying to make virus that attach onto and kill only cancer cells.
The virus will multiply up inside the cancer cell and kill it when they burst out. The viruses then go on to kill other cancer cells in the body.
Ajay Kakkar and team are developing robots for cancer surgery.
Tumours are often very difficult to remove from the body because they can be sitting next to or in vital organs. Ajay Kakkar and his team at QMUL are developing robots with very fine cutting control that can remove tumours from difficult areas without damaging the surrounding tissues.
Cancer cells use normal cells to help them grow and spread. The cancer cells get the normal cells to help make new blood vessels and provide important chemicals to help the cancer cells multiply.
Fran Balkwill and her team at QMUL are developing medicines to stop cancer cells from using the surrounding cells in this way.
