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Fighting Cancer with Physics

20.04.2005

PPARC Kite Club Event
The Future of Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy
28th April 2005
10.30 am – 5.00 pm (registration from 9.45 am)
Institute of Physics, Portland Place, London

It is widely recognised that cancer affects a large percentage of the population with more than 1 in 3 people being diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime. A lesser known fact is that most of the current diagnostic techniques used for identifying cancer come from technologies developed in the field of high energy physics.

The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) invite you to attend this Healthcare Forum which will bring together some of the UK’s leading cancer experts and scientists in order showcase ways in which technologies originally developed for particle physics experiments have been successfully applied to the medical industry – particularly with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

The aim of the event is to showcase successful partnerships and stimulate new activity between physics and engineering groups with healthcare companies and researchers for outcomes in medical imaging and radiotherapy.

The event is split into three sessions:

1. The Cancer Challenge: How can Physics support Innovation in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy?

An update on the state of the industry and the technology challenges in medical imaging, radiotherapy and new imaging methods. This will include a keynote address by Professor Alan Horwich, Director of Clinical Research and Development, Institute of Cancer Research, Royal Marsden Hospital on the technology requirements for cancer diagnosis and therapy in the NHS

2. Partnerships in Physics for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

Case studies of successful collaboration between researchers from particle physics (PPARC, EPSRC and CERN) communities and healthcare companies and researchers.

3. New Technology Opportunities from the Physics Community

Case studies from the physics community on technologies currently being developed that have potential for future collaboration with the healthcare industry. See below for the full programme.

The event is held in collaboration with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Institute of Physics, the Department of Health, the Medical Research Council, the Medical Devices Faraday Partnership, the Smart Optics Faraday Partnership and the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.