Science Talk
With our Science Talk blog, we hope to lift the lid on the black box that is the ICR: to show you inside our labs, to introduce you to a few of the people here who make the discoveries, and to allow them to tell some of the stories behind the science. We try to put our discoveries in a wider scientific context, and give an idea of how our science is actually done. We also give you the view from the ICR of important developments in the wider world of cancer research.
Thinking Inside the Box: five ways the ICR is leading the way with Big Data in cancer research
Artificial Intelligence is transforming the world in ways once limited to the imaginations of science fiction writers. In this blog, we take a look at how Big Data and AI tools are helping to tackle some of the biggest challenges in cancer research.
Nobel Prize for Medicine 2019: Oxygen sensing in cancer
The Nobel Prize for Medicine has been awarded to three scientists for discovering how cells respond to changes in oxygen levels. This is how their work has paved the way to a greater understanding of cancer.
Debunking 13 common cancer myths
The ICR’s Science Communications Officer Joanne Duffy took on the Royal Parks Half Marathon to raise money for the ICR’s world-leading research. Here she debunks 13 cancer myths – one for each mile that she ran – and highlights some examples of where the ICR’s scientists are making a real difference for people with cancer.
Women in STEM and how they are pushing for access to smarter, kinder treatments
Tuesday 8 October marks Ada Lovelace day, which celebrates women in STEM around the world. There are many inspirational female role models at the ICR, and here one of them, Professor Christina Yap, describes how her work as a woman in STEM could improve clinical trials, improving access to smarter, kinder treatments for cancer patients.
How CT scans continue to play a fundamental role in cancer treatment
CT scans have been used for decades in hospitals all over the world to “see” abnormalities within tissues. We discuss new ways in which they are being combined with other techniques to produce better images of cancer, which could help improve treatment in the future.
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: How we’re improving the lives of young people with cancer through research
The annual Childhood Cancer Conference is an opportunity to hear about the latest scientific developments, and the research and care priorities for young patients and their parents. Sarah Wells went along and heard from one of the world’s leading childhood cancer researchers.
Celebrating Professor Sir Mel Greaves and his legacy in leukaemia research
Leukaemia researchers from around the world gathered at the Royal Society last week to celebrate Professor Sir Mel Greaves and his knighthood for his services to children's leukaemia research. Science Communications Officer Joanne Duffy reports back on the day.
Three ways global links help our researchers carry out life-changing research on World Cancer Research Day
Cancer research is a team effort that crosses all borders, and on World Cancer Research Day we highlight three ways our researchers contribute to and benefit from these global ties.
To immunity and beyond: cancer bursting viruses fight cancer in two ways
Your immune system has the power to recognise billions of molecules that cause disease. From structures on the surface of bacterial cells, to poisons and viruses, your body can recognise and fight against it all.
Using AI and maths to look at cancer through the lens of evolution
At the ICR, scientists are applying Darwin’s theory of evolution to cancer in order to understand how the disease develops and evolves. By combining advanced technologies, mathematics and AI, scientists hope that studying cancer evolution can offer new insight into drug resistance and disease progression.
What is it like to study at the ICR? We speak to some of our amazing students to find out
Our students are an integral part of our mission to 'make the discoveries that defeat cancer' and will form the next generation of cancer researchers. We explore our reputation for academic excellence and speak to several of our students to find out why they chose to study at the ICR.
Cancer type matters: zooming in on the response to gene-targeted drugs
Drugs designed to target particular gene faults can kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. These kinds of smarter, kinder therapies have revolutionised cancer treatment. But a new study found that the response to drugs targeting the same fault can vary between tumour types. Sarah Wells asks how this news could change the way we think about precision medicine.
MRI is changing radiotherapy – and the role of all who deliver it
Sophisticated technologies like the MR Linac are targeting radiation precisely at tumours – guided by a new generation of clinicians trained up in the latest research advances.
ICR scientists put melanoma under the microscope for BBC documentary
Earlier this year, ICR researchers were given a unique opportunity to image a primary tumour from a patient and discuss it with them as part of a documentary for BBC Four, airing on Monday 24 June at 9pm. Here, we show some of the amazing images they produced and explain how their related research is advancing our understanding of melanoma.
Dr Gideon Coster on cancer DNA and why he chose the ICR to study it
After his recent move to the ICR, we spoke to Dr Gideon Coster to find out more about how his research into DNA replication – and when this goes wrong in cancer – could lead to new drug targets.
ASCO 2019: ICR research makes waves at world’s largest cancer conference
Tens of thousands of researchers were in Chicago to hear about the latest developments in cancer treatment – many of them involving the ICR. Sarah Wells looks back at this year’s edition of the biggest event in the cancer research calendar.
Investing in our future means both great facilities and great people
The ICR is investing £75 million in creating a state-of-the-art Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery on our Sutton site. That presents a huge opportunity to attract the best researchers and students, Registrar and Director of Academic Services Dr Barbara Pittam argues.
ASCO 2019: Patients put at the forefront for world’s largest cancer conference
On 31 May, world-leaders in cancer research will be gathering in Chicago for the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting. ICR researchers will be amongst those presenting their groundbreaking research at the world’s largest cancer conference, which is focusing on ‘Caring for Every Patient, Learning from Every Patient’.
Melanoma Awareness Month 2019: A personal look behind the scenes of our melanoma research
Patient advocate Debbie Keynes, who was diagnosed with melanoma in April 2016, visited the ICR to meet with researchers who are developing new techniques to advance the diagnosis of melanoma to help patients and GPs.
International Clinical Trials Day: An inside look at clinical trials at the ICR
Today, on Monday 20 May, scientists around the world are celebrating International Clinical Trials Day. Here we take a look at just a few of the clinical trials being conducted by The Institute of Cancer Research.