New cancer treatments and better ways to manage arthritis are among 30 new health research projects funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Professor Alison Park, UKRI’s Interdisciplinary Working Champion and Deputy Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council, said: “Many of the most pressing problems can only be addressed by researchers working across a range of disciplines, for example clinicians working with engineers and technicians.”
“Through interdisciplinary research like this, we can develop breakthrough health treatments more quickly and effectively than research conducted solely within a single discipline.”
Bringing together expertise from various scientific fields
All projects are interdisciplinary and span multiple research fields.
This ensures the development of new approaches and methods that are not possible with established single-disciplinary thinking.
Additionally, the research will be applicant-driven. This means that research ideas come directly from the research community and problems to be solved are identified.
Health-related projects range from cancer treatment to musculoskeletal diseases
“Snailbots” for advanced colorectal cancer treatment
A small robot inspired by the movements of snails could help deliver drugs more precisely to intestinal cancer tumors.
This allows tumors to be treated more effectively and reduces the amount of chemotherapy drugs that affect healthy tissue.
The research project, led by Manchester scientists, is developing a ‘snailbot’ with support from UKRI investment.
Tackling pancreatic cancer using artificial bacteria and ultrasound
Although survival rates for most cancers have doubled since 1980, there are still few treatments available for some pancreatic cancers.
A new approach uses engineered bacteria to modify the environment around a patient’s tumor to help the patient’s own immune system fight the tumor.
Harmless bacteria are encapsulated in a gel and injected near the cancer site.
The ultrasound then stimulates the bacteria to release compounds designed to modify the cells surrounding the tumor.
This project brings together materials chemistry, synthetic biology, engineering physics, and experimental medicine to create an entirely new technology to treat pancreatic cancer.
This can help clinicians monitor treatment non-invasively, potentially reducing the need for toxic cancer drugs and reducing debilitating side effects for patients.
Better assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders
Musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain and arthritis affect more than 20 million people in the UK.
Although movement tracking plays an important role in realizing effective treatment strategies in clinical settings, traditional movement tracking requires a controlled laboratory environment and does not accurately reflect an individual’s movement at home or work.
The project combines virtual reality and motion tracking to recreate everyday activities, such as a walk in the park or the office, inside a hospital lab.
Eye-tracking technology can also be used to measure heart rate, breathing, and other body signals during these activities to better understand a person’s physical and mental health.
This gives doctors, physical therapists and others a more realistic understanding of a patient’s physical and mental condition during clinical assessments and rehabilitation, leading to better outcomes.
“Many of the projects we announce funding have the potential to change the lives of millions of people for the better,” Park concluded.
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