It was World Health Day last Friday. Which got us thinking about what remains one of the most common killers. With many high-profile media campaigns over the past few years, there’s less stigma in talking about the “C-word”, but the facts remain stark: cancer survival is still talked about in terms of 3-5 years. Complete remission is for the lucky few.
New treatments have been developed, but the majority are still taken in forms that flood the whole system, often producing the horrific and visible side-effects that we see in so many cancer patients. But how about another idea: what if we could deliver the medicine directly to the treatment site and deploy it there?
That’s what you can hear more about on 4 May, in the first of the new EngTalks series. Professor Eleanor Stride’s work with microbubbles is based around the idea of encapsulating drugs in microscopic particles to temporarily deactivate them.
Talking about how she’s designing ‘stimuli-responsive’ particles to be responsive to light, pressure, or a particular chemical, she’ll explain how it’s possible to achieve ‘on demand’ release at a target site, promote uptake of the drug in target cells and reduce the risk of side effects.
EngTalks will also feature a 10-minute insight from Jack Kreindler, founder of the Centre for Health and Human Performance. Is a dollar a day all it takes for us to live to 100?
There’s also the chance to see a range of interactive displays from companies at the cutting edge of cancer treatment. We’re pleased to be welcoming Cancer Research UK, 3P Innovation and Hobbs Rehabilitation – with lots more still to be announced!
Tickets for EngTalks are free but you’ll need to pre-book to secure one! Book yours today at www.theiet.org/engtalks