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UK research is bringing significant improvements in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of three of the world’s most common forms of cancer - prostate, cervical and oesophageal.

The research is a major project between four leading UK Universities and three NHS hospital trusts, and will be carried out at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) pioneering ALICE accelerator facility. The goal is to develop new techniques to accurately diagnose the three cancer types much earlier than any current conventional tests. It will also aim to develop a new generation of portable and highly accurate cancer diagnostics instruments.

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the project is led by the University of Liverpool, alongside Cardiff University and the Universities of Lancaster and Manchester. They are working closely with the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Professor Erica Denton, National Clinical Director for Diagnostics, NHS, said: “This collaboration has the potential to bring significant improvements in patient care and is an excellent example of the kind of world leading, multidisciplinary research we excel in undertaking in the UK and especially at STFC.

Oesophageal cancer has the fastest rise in incidence in the western world, affecting more than half a million people annually world-wide. Prostate cancer affects 10% of males in developed countries, with 30,000 new cases annually in the UK alone. Both cancers can be treated successfully if diagnosed early enough. This view is supported by the results of cervical cancer screening which saves more than 11,000 lives per year, but is an extremely expensive programme to run.

STFC’s ALICE accelerator will play a key role in this project that has two main objectives; to add a new dimension to our understanding of these cancers by comparing results from a range of infrared and terahertz techniques, and then to use these findings to go on to develop a new generation of portable and affordable cancer diagnostics instruments.

The University of Liverpool’s Professor Peter Weightman, who is leading the research, said: ‘This research could not be carried out efficiently and cost effectively by a number of smaller research groups. This impressive critical mass of scientists and clinicians has the combined experience and expertise to transform our understanding into the diagnosis and successful treatment of these three cancers. In the longer term, if this study reveals features common to all three cancers our results could be significant in the development of treatments for an even wider range of cancers and other diseases.”

Professor Andrea Varro from the Institute of Translational Medicine at the University of Liverpool said, “The instruments on the ALICE accelerator will reveal, in extraordinary detail, the character and chemical processes that underlie the malignant behaviour of these three cancers, which will mean real developments in diagnosis and the development of therapies.”

A light source of unprecedented brilliance, and located at STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory at Sci-Tech Daresbury in Cheshire, ALICE is an R&D prototype for the next generation of accelerator based light sources and is the most powerful source of terahertz light in Europe.The third of its kind in the world, ALICE’s technology will play a major role for significant advancements in fields from healthcare, materials science and sustainable energy. ALICE is also directly linked to a Tissue Culture Facility, developed by Professor Weightman, making Daresbury the only place in the world where the effects of terahertz rays can be observed on cancer cells.

Professor John Womersley, Chief Executive at STFC said: “This is a perfect example of academia and leading clinicians working closely together with a view to changing the lives of potentially hundreds of thousands of people in the UK alone. ALICE provides Professor Weightman’s team with an opportunity to look at cancer cells in a way that has never been done before. It also demonstrates the value of the world leading research facilities that STFC provides. We look forward to continuing to work with Professor Weightman and his collaborators as they take this invaluable research to the next level.”

Using the extremely powerful source of light at ALICE, Professor Weightman and his team will conduct experiments on tissue specimens from all three diseases using a combination of three different infra-red based techniques to reveal the chemical structure of these diseases with unprecedented accuracy. The instrumentation to do this will be developed in collaboration with teams from Cardiff, Lancaster and Manchester universities. The team will then go on to design and build two complementary terahertz instruments and assess their performance against more developed infrared techniques in cancer diagnosis.

Further information

• View the ALICE accelerator on YouTube.
• Further information about ALICE.

Cardiff University

Dr C. Tucker and Prof. P. Ade (Physics and Astronomy) will develop a portable terahertz instrument of a novel design.

University of Lancaster and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Dr. O.V. Kolosov (Physics), Prof. D. Allsop (Neuroscience),Prof. F.L. Martin (Biological Chemistry).

The team will develop a new infrared red instrument for use on ALICE and study cervical cancer and molecules implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Clinical leadership will be provided by Lancaster Hospital - Prof P.L Martin-Hirsch (Gynaeoncology and Obstetrics), Dr H.F. Stringfellow (Pathology).

University of Liverpool and Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospital NHS Trust

Prof. P. Weightman, Dr S.D. Barrett Physics,Dr. D.S. Martin, Dr. Y Shen.

The team will lead the experimental studies of oesophageal cancer and develop a new terahertz instrument, collaborating closely with CNR, Italy. Clinical leadership will be provided by Prof. M. Pritchard and Prof. A. Varro, Physiology,Royal Liverpool Hospital.

University of Manchester

Prof. P. Gardener (Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science) will study prostate cancer with the clinical leadership provided by Prof. N. Clarke (Urological Oncology), Christie Hospital.

Images available

Images of the ALICE accelerator at STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory are available on request.

Contact

Wendy Ellison
STFC Press Officer
Tel: 01925 603232

EPSRC

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK’s main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around £800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone’s health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK.