EPSRC IRC in Targeted Delivery for Hard-to-Treat Cancers

Lead Research Organisation: University of Cambridge
Department Name: Engineering

Abstract

While the survival rate for most cancers has doubled over the last 40 years, hard-to-treat cancers show survival rates below 14%. To combat these cancers, multiple pathways (immune/inflammatory, neoangiogenic, cell replication) need to be targeted and this necessitates a multimodal delivery approach that will increase not only the amount but also the range of therapeutic agents that reach the target site. This IRC will address this challenge by developing (i) delivery vehicles that are based on metal organic frameworks and organic cages and show substantially increased payload capacity, and (ii) implantable/injectable delivery platforms that are based on gels and electrophoretic pumps and enhance drug penetration through e.g. the blood-brain barrier. By combining these two approaches, we will achieve a step change in the amount and range of drugs that reach the tumour site. Two crosscutting translational activities, on material delivery & additive manufacturing and on validation, will consider the whole chain from the conception of the delivery system to its clinical application, leading to a holistic approach to the problem of targeted drug delivery. The proposed research program builds on an institutional-level initiative on therapeutic science and strong links with CRUK and with national labs and industry leaders in drug development. The interdisciplinary team involved in this IRC includes groups from five universities with expertise ranging from materials synthesis and characterisation, through device engineering and manufacturing, to pharmacology and cancer, and will deliver scientific breakthroughs that extend beyond the field of targeted drug delivery. Economic and societal impacts will be delivered and measured through a joined-up approach to market analysis, industry feedback and embedded anticipation of risks to translation. Engagement of end-users and stakeholders, which will begin as early as the preparation of the second-round proposal, will play a critical role in steering the IRC throughout its lifetime.

Planned Impact

The chief impact from this project will be the development of new treatments for hard-to-treat cancers. Over the long term, these treatments will improve patient outcomes and quality of life by increasing the amount and range of drugs that reach the tumour site. In the short term, stakeholders and end-users including clinicians, patient groups, regulatory agencies and members of the healthcare technology supply chain, will benefit from the creation of an ecosystem that engages them at the early stages of the generation of a novel therapeutic solution. Industry will benefit by participating in a project that brings together state-of-the-art materials and device solutions to the field of drug delivery in a way that de-risks their transition to the market. The general public will benefit from a wide range of outreach events that target increased awareness of the future of medical treatments. The academic community will benefit from new scientific knowledge and engineering solutions that will be created by this interdisciplinary project.

Publications

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Trenfield SJ (2022) Advancing pharmacy and healthcare with virtual digital technologies. in Advanced drug delivery reviews

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Elbadawi M (2020) Additive Manufacturable Materials for Electrochemical Biosensor Electrodes in Advanced Functional Materials

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Willis-Fox N (2020) Going with the Flow: Tunable Flow-Induced Polymer Mechanochemistry in Advanced Functional Materials

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Woodington BJ (2022) X-Ray Markers for Thin Film Implants. in Advanced healthcare materials

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Alkahtani M (2023) Electroactive Polymers for On-Demand Drug Release in Advanced Healthcare Materials

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O'Neill SJK (2023) Tissue-Mimetic Supramolecular Polymer Networks for Bioelectronics. in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

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Rochford AE (2020) When Bio Meets Technology: Biohybrid Neural Interfaces. in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

 
Description We developed peptide-functionalized hyaluronic acid (HACF) cross-linked by cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]), a new class of drug-delivery reservoirs, and used these materials to enable improved drug bioavailability for glioblastoma tumors in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. We showed that treatment with drug-loaded hydrogels allows for a significant survival impact of 45% (55.5 to 80.5 days). These biocompatible and tailorable materials warrant use as drug delivery reservoirs in PDX resection models, where the the mechanical properties can be readily adjusted to match the stiffness of local tissue and thus have potential to improve the survival of GB patients.

We have advanced in the creation of new formulations and in vitro validation of proof-of-concept solutions using high-capacity vehicles. On the one hand, we have included new coatings to increase the stability of the developed materials. On the other hand, we have developed new methods to assess the biocompatibility and immune response of the materials.

Biocompatible drug nanocarriers that mimic biopolymers from skin have been designed using a green and adjustable chemical strategy. A drug candidate that showed initial promise for treatment of pancreatic cnacer, but suffers from limited stability and delivery efficiency, was loaded within the nanocarrier together with the compound that can ease the transport within pancreatic cancer tissue. It was shown that the nanocarrier enter the cancer cells without posing any damaging effect on the healthy cells. A new line of research has also been developed focusing on mechanical properties of the tumour vs healthy tissues to help design of more effient drug nanocarries.
Exploitation Route On the long term, we aim to take these technologies to the clinic, thereby changing the standard of care in hard-to-treat cancers. The work can be generalised to address other diseases where localised delivery of drugs past biological barriers is important, for example epilepsy. Advances in hydrogel synthesis and functionalisation of vehicles can be adopted by others in the field of tossue engineering and energy storage.

A microfluidic device that mimics the flow of blood will be useful to the wider research community to test nanocarriers prior to in vivo, pre-clinical validation. Biopolymer nanocarriers have attracted the attention of immunologists within Addenbrooks hospital interested in making use of these systems to target cancer promoting signalling proteins, and researchers working on targeting of senescent cells.
Sectors Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology

 
Description Emerging impacts from the IRC grant are being realised through partnerships with new and existing industry partners. A new spin-out company, Vector Bioscience, (see Spin Outs) has been founded by Prof David Fairen-Jimenez, to take forward IRC research on metal-organic frameworks as drug delivery vehicles for anti-cancer therapeutics. The company has now been awarded substantial EIC and Innovate UK funding (see Further Funding) which will enable the company to further develop the technology towards commercialisation. The secondment of an IRC post-doctoral researcher from Prof Oren Scherman's group to acqot (see Secondments) has enabled the two-way transfer of expertise and knowledge between the University and industry. Within the company, the partnership has developed technical skills and know-how relating to the manufacturing scale-up and characterisation of novel drug-loaded hydrogels.
First Year Of Impact 2022
Sector Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology
Impact Types Economic

 
Description A revolutionary, highly versatile drug delivery platform based on Metal-Organic Frameworks
Amount € 2,500,000 (EUR)
Funding ID 101113070 
Organisation European Commission 
Sector Public
Country European Union (EU)
Start 05/2023 
End 04/2026
 
Description Development of Hydrogels for Localised Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Glioblastoma
Amount £12,000 (GBP)
Organisation Wellcome Trust 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 10/2021 
End 03/2023
 
Description Development of Hydrogels for Treatment of Glioblastoma
Amount £800,000 (GBP)
Organisation AstraZeneca 
Department MedImmune
Sector Private
Country United Kingdom
Start 11/2019 
End 09/2024
 
Description EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account
Amount £8,078 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2019 
End 12/2019
 
Description ERC Proof of Concept
Amount € 150,000 (EUR)
Funding ID GAP_ERC-2020-PoC_957514-MOHEDD 
Organisation European Research Council (ERC) 
Sector Public
Country Belgium
Start  
 
Description Fast Start: Innovation
Amount £50,000 (GBP)
Funding ID 10046360 
Organisation Innovate UK 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 11/2022 
End 04/2023
 
Description GMP translated fabrication of dynamic cucurbit[8]uril based hydrogels for drug delivery in cancer treatment
Amount £14,961 (GBP)
Organisation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2021 
End 05/2021
 
Description Harnessing single cell sequencing technology to improve early diagnosis and prognostication
Amount £92,596 (GBP)
Funding ID MEDPG21F\4 
Organisation British Lung Foundation (BLF) 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2021 
End 08/2023
 
Description Medical implant to deliver precision cancer treatment through targeted chemotherapeutic delivery
Amount £180,000 (GBP)
Funding ID EF2020\100033 
Organisation Rosetrees Trust 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 12/2020 
End 12/2023
 
Description Metal-organic frameworks as a modular platform for advanced drug delivery
Amount £449,693 (GBP)
Funding ID 10037486 
Organisation Innovate UK 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 12/2022 
End 11/2024
 
Description Supramolecular local drug delivery hydrogel depot for Glioblastoma (GB)
Amount £49,999 (GBP)
Organisation Medical Research Council (MRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2023 
End 03/2023
 
Description WELLCOME TRUST - INSTITUTIONAL TRANSLATION PARTNERSHIP AWARD: UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Amount £50,000 (GBP)
Funding ID RG93172 
Organisation Wellcome Trust 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2019 
End 05/2020
 
Title Mesothelioma organoids 
Description Mesobank is a repository of mesothelioma tissue and in vitro models. Recently, we generated new mesothelioma organoids (currently 19 models), which are 3D cell cultures that closely mimic the properties and behaviour of mesothelioma tumours found in patients. 
Type Of Material Cell line 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact With Mesobank organdies, researchers can test potential therapies and develop new treatments. This resource is critical for advancing our understanding of mesothelioma and improving the lives of those affected by the disease. The use of organoids in research has the potential to greatly accelerate the pace of discovery and lead to new treatments that can help patients with mesothelioma. 
URL https://www.mesobank.com
 
Title Quantitative monitoring and modelling of retrodialysis drug delivery in a brain phantom 
Description AbstractA vast number of drug molecules are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, which results in a loss of therapeutic opportunities when these molecules are administered by intravenous infusion. To circumvent the blood-brain barrier, local drug delivery devices have been developed over the past few decades such as reverse microdialysis. Reverse microdialysis (or retrodialysis) offers many advantages, such as a lack of net volume influx to the intracranial cavity and the ability to sample the tumour's micro-environment. However, the translation of this technique to efficient drug delivery has not been systematically studied. In this work, we present an experimental platform to evaluate the performance of microdialysis devices in reverse mode in a brain tissue phantom. The mass of model drug delivered is measured by computing absorbance fields from optical images. Concentration maps are reconstructed using a modern and open-source implementation of the inverse Abel transform. To illustrate our method, we assess the capability of a commercial probe in delivering methylene blue to a gel phantom. We find that the delivery rate can be described by classical microdialysis theory, except at low dialysate flow rates where it is impacted by gravity, and high flow rates where significant convection to the gel occurs. We also show that the flow rate has an important impact not only on the overall size of the drug plume, but also on its shape. The numerical tools developed for this study have been made freely available to ensure that the method presented can be used to rapidly and inexpensively optimise probe design and protocol parameters before proceeding to more in-depth studies. 
Type Of Material Model of mechanisms or symptoms - in vitro 
Year Produced 2023 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact The brain tissue phantom and associated numerical tools are contributing to the development and validation of IRC drug delivery technologies. 
URL https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/346048
 
Description Collaboration with Nottingham (PDRA in Nottingham) 
Organisation University of Nottingham
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are preparing a range of dynamic hydrogels with either a single API formulated within the gel or in combination with a polymeric nanoparticle that encapsulates a different drug.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in Nottingham are looking at a range of 3D spheroid models of GB patient cells, both invasive margin cells and core cells from the same patients and how APIs target these cells from solution as well as from our dynamic hydrogels. They are also looking at whether there are synergies with multimodal treatment.
Impact chemistry, biology, materials,
Start Year 2021
 
Description Collaboration with University of Strathclyde 
Organisation University of Strathclyde
Department Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution IRC investigators Prof Duncan Jodrell, Prof Oren Scherman, Prof Ross Forgan and Prof David Fairen-Jimenez contributed to the development of the project plan, and provide advisory input to University of Strathclyde's role in the IRC. Researchers from Prof Oren Scherman, Prof Ross Forgan and Prof David Fairen Jimenez's groups synthesise and characterise materials for use in experiments at University of Strathclyde.
Collaborator Contribution University of Strathclyde are contributing to the IRC through the validation of IRC technologies using in vivo mouse models for pancreatic cancer.
Impact Outputs are still emergent.
Start Year 2022
 
Description IRC-ARM 
Organisation Arm Limited
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Hosting a meeting to discuss collaborative opportunities
Collaborator Contribution None as yet
Impact None as yet
Start Year 2018
 
Description IRC-AZ 
Organisation AstraZeneca
Department Research and Development AstraZeneca
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Expertise in the devices and chemistries being deployed as part of the project.
Collaborator Contribution AstraZeneca have provided expertise in drug delivery by providing a representative to sit on the steering committee for the project. They have also contributed by providing guidance in developing target product profiles and hosting a meeting to explore wider possibilities for collaboration. In addition to in-kind support AstraZeneca have also provided substantial additional funding for translation work on hydrogels for the treatment of glioblastoma
Impact This is a multidisciplinary collaboration involving engineers, chemists and clinicians. The main outcome of the collaboration to-date has been to assist in shaping the strategic direction of the IRC.
Start Year 2019
 
Description IRC-CPI 
Organisation Centre for Process Innovation (CPI)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Expertise in the technologies we are developing
Collaborator Contribution Expertise in high value manufacturing
Impact Assistance in shaping the approach we have taken to the manufacturing challenges associated with the project
Start Year 2019
 
Description IRC-MDC 
Organisation Medicines Discovery Catapult
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Expertise in the drug delivery technologies being developed
Collaborator Contribution Assistance in identifying possible additional project partners
Impact Contacts made with potential industrial collaborators
Start Year 2018
 
Description IRC-NPL 
Organisation National Physical Laboratory
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Expertise in the drug delivery technologies being developed.
Collaborator Contribution Expertise in medical instrumentation and mass spectrometry imaging
Impact No outcomes as yet
Start Year 2018
 
Company Name VECTOR BIOSCIENCE CAMBRIDGE LTD 
Description Vector Bioscience stems from over 15 years of research in innovative materials and drug delivery by the group of Prof. David Fairen-Jimenez from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. Vector develops a technology platform with the potential to ultimately become the almost universal solution highly needed in the targeted delivery of macromolecules - particularly RNA delivery. The technology is based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), nanoparticles that carry RNA molecules, like a shuttle for pharmaceuticals. MOFs display different advantages - firstly they offer controlled release of the RNA macromolecules, improving safety and selectivity. Moreover, MOFs protect the RNA from degradation and increase their solubility and bioavailability. Overall, Vector's technology has shown promising results in treating complicated cancers, including hard-to-treat tumours in the brain, lung, and pancreas. 
Year Established 2021 
Impact Vector Bioscience, a spin-out company of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge, has just received £2.2 million from the European Innovation Council (EIC) thanks to the "Transition Challenge" investment programme. This capital will allow Vector to develop its novel RNA delivery platform, increasing RNA therapies' safety, specificity, and effectiveness. Vector has already been awarded an additional £500k from Innovate UK
Website https://www.vectorbiocam.com/
 
Description 'Summer in the CDT' talk series held by University of Nottingham 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Talk as part of seminar series given over the summer for a number of research postgraduate students at doctoral training centre.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description BBC1 Naked scientist Question time guest 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Ljiljana Fruk joined a group of Panelist to answer the questions from the listeners concerning chemistry, nanotechnology and nano medicine in BB1 Naked scientist question time
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/naked-scientists-podcast/extremely-curious-qna
 
Description BNOS online research workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Presented 30 minute lecture virtually, then held a panel discussion with questions taken from audience located internationally.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Brain Tumour Charity's Research Involvement Network 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Patients, carers and/or patient groups
Results and Impact We developed a questionnaire for patients/carers together with the Brain Tumour Charity's Research Involvement Network and establishing a panel to guide future work targeting brain cancer. Their feedback was very helpful in clarifying patient preferences for different treatment modalities.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description CRUK Cambridge PPI panel 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Patients, carers and/or patient groups
Results and Impact We asked a PPI group to weigh in on various treatment scenarios. We received very helpful feedback on drug/imaging agent/placebo selection for hydrogels & on the design of the electrophoretic pumps
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Cambridge Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre PPI Panel 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Patients, carers and/or patient groups
Results and Impact Presentation to Cambridge Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre Patient and Public Involvement Panel to inform them of our progress and to obtain their input on which drugs to use (tried and tested versus novel molecularly targeted therapies) and on design of implantable devices.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Cambridge Festival - Youtube video on microscopy in research 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact As part of the Cambridge Festival, the University's annual public engagement festival, an IRC researcher from the Institute of Manufacturing created this short film explaining how microscopy is used in research.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDC9ZAf5xwI&ab_channel=InstituteforManufacturing%28IfM%29%2CUniversi...
 
Description Cambridge Festival panel discussion, live activity, in-person and live-streamed event entitled 'What can we do about difficult cancers?' 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This event brought together a neurosurgeon (Mr Stephen Price), an engineer (Dr Ronan Daly) and chemists (Prof. Oren Scherman & Dr Ljiljana Fruk) to discuss the problems in delivering drugs to combat some of the most difficult to treat cancers, and how we can use new advances in engineering and chemistry to overcome them. There was also an opportunity to see simulated brain surgery to remove a tumour to help understand the challenges being addressed.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-can-we-do-about-difficult-cancers-tickets-182059594147#
 
Description Cambridge Philosophical Society invited lecture 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Cambridge Philosophical Society talks are aimed at general public and the member of the University of Cambridge, and the lecturers are invited based on their expertise and ability to engage audiences with their chosen topic. The topic was Modern Molecular Science and how is it changing our life.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.cambridgephilosophicalsociety.org/lectures-visits/modern-molecular-science-and-how-it-ch...
 
Description Cambridge Science Festival March 2019 hands-on microscopy activities for the general public (all ages) over two weekends. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The Cambridge Science Festival is a series of events held annually in March in Cambridge, and is the United Kingdom's largest free science festival.[1] The festival attracts more than 30,000 visitors to over 250 events.[2] University researches and students open their lecture halls and laboratories to the general public, and hold Talks, Exhibitions and Demonstrations, mostly free of charge.[1]

The Marciniak lab plays a leading part in representing the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR) in organising hands on cell biology activities. For young children these involve toys and games teaching about the structure of cells. For older children and adults, we use a variety of microscopes including fluorescence microscopy to illustrate how modern microscopy aids in the understanding of the molecular cell biology of disease.


[1] "University of Cambridge Science Festival 2011". BBC News. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
[2] "About - www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk". Retrieved 21 March 2015.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019
URL https://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/grander-view-how-modern-microscopy-illuminates-disease
 
Description Conference presentation by Dr Niamh Willis-Fox at The Inkjet Conference 2019, Dusseldorf. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Conference presentation by Dr Niamh Willis-Fox at The Inkjet Conference 2019, Dusseldorf. This is the major industry-academic joint conference that looks at inkjet technologies.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Conference to celebrate the international day of Women and Girls in Science 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The online conference was organised by ICESCO (Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) and live-streamed from Marocco. The guests included high-ranking politicians, prominent scientists including Nobel price winners and policymakers. It was aimed at the celebration of the international day of Women and girls in science and it was streamed globally reaching audiences from all over the world, and it was organised in collaboration with Leibnitz Association (Germany) and Sp
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.icesco.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Celebration-of-the-International-Day-of...
 
Description Connect HealthTech podcast interview 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Prof Colin Watts and Prof Ronan Daly appeared in the Connect HealthTech "Joining the Dots" podcast, interviewed by Paula Rogers-Brown. Connect HealthTech is an online academia-industry community for life sciences and health technology. In the podcast they explained the IRCs mission and gave insights into the challenges and benefits of our inter-disciplinary approach, raising awareness of the work of the IRC to a broader audience across academia and the heath tech industry.
Prof Colin Watts and Claire McGlynn (IRC Programme Manager) have been invited to present at a future Connect Health Tech event.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.teddy.eng.cam.ac.uk/news/listen-irc-investigators-conversation-connect-health-tech-podca...
 
Description Creation and distribution of the publication - The IfM colouring book "How Stuff Gets Made". 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Creation and distribution of the publication - The IfM colouring book "How Stuff Gets Made". This outreach activity was a highly popular contribution to the Cambridge Science Festival 2019 by the postdoctoral researcher on this grant Dr. Niamh Willis-Fox.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description IRC website 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Website giving details of the work undertaken by the IRC, and contact details
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Interview and summary on the role of design for manufacturing on the path from laboratory to clinic 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Manufacturing is a cross-cutting theme that runs through the IRC research programme. Dr Ronan Daly, Associate Professor in Science and Technology of Manufacturing, based at the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, leads this theme for the IRC, and in this interview and report describes why asking questions early in the research stage and looking ahead to manufacturing is key to getting products quickly to patients.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.teddy.eng.cam.ac.uk/cancer-sight-blog/november-2021-ahead-game-role-design-manufacturing...
 
Description Invited Lecture at anniversary symposium 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Gave an invited lecture as part of Prof. Bert Meijers' anniversary symposium. 250 members in the audience.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Invited talks at the MRS Spring Meeting, May 8-13, 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Delivered two invited talks and several contributed (by group members) to a large and interdisciplinary audience interested in applications of novel materials
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/spring-meetings-exhibits/past-spring-meetings/2022-mrs-spring-me...
 
Description Keynote presentation at 18th International Conference on Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Keynote presentation: "Technology for bioelectronic medicine", 18 International Conference on Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies (N&N), July 6-9, Thessaloniki, Greece (via teleconference due to COVID restrictions).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.nanotexnology.com/index.php/nn
 
Description Keynote presentation at 3rd International Conference on Flexible Electronics 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Keynote presentation: "Technology for bioelectronic medicine", 3rd International Conference on Flexible Electronics (ICFE), Nov. 12-14, 2021, Hangzhou, China (via teleconference due to COVID restrictions).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Keynote presentation at 72nd Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Keynote presentation: "Electronics on the brain", 72nd Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, Aug. 29 - Sept. 3, 2021, Jeju Island, Korea (via teleconference due to COVID restrictions).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Keynote presentation at Hellenic Conference on Solid-State Physics and Materials Science 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Gave the keynote presentation at national conference
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://fsk36.materials.uoc.gr/
 
Description Keynote talk at Nanotexnology 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Keynote talk at nanotechnology conference, attended by physical scientist and engineers
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.nanotexnology.com/2019/
 
Description Keyonote presentation at International Conference on Intelligent Wearable Systems in Hong Kong 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Gave keynote presentation in Hong Kong at conference on werable electronics attended by academic and industrial scientists from around the world
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/riiwear/news-and-events/events/2022/jun/iciws-2022/
 
Description Lecture to a Summer School 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact A presentation to the CDT Summer School on pancreatic cancer and the activity in EPSRC IRC.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description MRS Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Large international conference; spoke at a symposium within the conference as invited speaker. 100-200 audience members attended talk, with healthy discussion afterwards.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Meet the Researcher June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Patients, carers and/or patient groups
Results and Impact An online public engagement event was held with the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund to share the IRC research relating to mesothelioma with an audience of patients, their relatives and carers, and health care professionals. The event was publicised by the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund and shared on social media which led to attendees not only from within the UK but also Europe and South America. The event was chaired by Dr Kate Hill of the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund. Prof Stefan Marciniak, Claire McGlynn (IRC Programme Manager) and three IRC researchers gave short presentations, followed by a lively question and answer session and further discussion. Feedback from attendees indicated that the presentations were clear and understandable to a lay audience, they valued the work being done by the IRC towards improving treatments, and they were interested in learning about future progress at a later date. The IRC researchers benefited from learning about the views and concerns of stakeholders in their research, and in developing their skills in presenting research to a lay audience.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.teddy.eng.cam.ac.uk/news/irc-team-meet-researchers-public-event
 
Description NeuroTechX talk 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Talk "Electronics on the Brain" at NeuroTechX, Jan. 25, 2021, held virtually (via teleconference due to COVID restrictions).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://neurotechx.com/
 
Description Outreach Talk at ASPIRE Research Showcase 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Outreach Talk: "Technology for bioelectronic medicine", ASPIRE Research Showcase, Medical School, Keele University, Nov. 17, 2021, Keele, UK (via teleconference due to COVID restrictions).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Outreach Talk at Rosalind Franklin Conference 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Outreach Talk: "Electronics on the brain", Rosalind Franklin Conference 2021, Newnham College, April 9, 2021, Cambridge, UK (via teleconference due to COVID restrictions).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Outreach Talk, IEEE Turkey Student Branches Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Convention 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Outreach Talk: "Electronics on the brain", IEEE Turkey Student Branches Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Convention, May 8, 2021, Istanbul, Turkey (via teleconference due to COVID restrictions).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Outreach Talk: Digitalize in Stockholm 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Outreach Talk: "Technology for bioelectronic medicine", Digitalize in Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 21, 2021 (via teleconference due to COVID restrictions).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://digitalizeinsthlm21.se/
 
Description Participation in University of Birmingham Brain Cancer Patient Focus Group 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Patients, carers and/or patient groups
Results and Impact Participation in University of Birmingham Brain Cancer Patient Focus Groups on 4th and 5th January 2023.
Discussions with GB patients and carers around the use of dynamic hydrogels as a novel treatment option for patients with GB
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Pint of Science talk by Ljiljana Fruk 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A presentation by Ljiljana Fruk (Co-PI on the award) as part of the Pint of Science series of talks. As well as the talk by an IRC Co- PI the event was sponsored by the IRC, publicising its activities to an audience who may not attend more formal presentations
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Plenary Talk at British Cochlear Implant Group 2021 Virtual Meeting 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Plenary Talk: "Electronics on the Brain", British Cochlear Implant Group 2021 Virtual Meeting, May 11-12, 2021 (via teleconference due to COVID restrictions).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Plenary talk at EANS 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Plenary talk at the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies, attended mostly by clinicians
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://eans2019.com/
 
Description Plenary talk at Fpi14 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Plenary talk at the 14th International Symposium on Functional p-Electron Systems (Fp14) in Berlin
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL http://www.fpi14.de
 
Description Plenary talk at International Conference for Flexible Electronics 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Plenary talk at probably largest Flexible Electronics meeting in Asia
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL http://icfe.gfeit.com/
 
Description Plenary talk at MNE 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Plenary talk at key microfabrication conference attended by scientists and engineers
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.mne2019.org/
 
Description Plenary talk at ORBITALY 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Plenary talk at ORBITALY, attended by scientists interested in applications of organic electronic materials in biology
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.orbitaly2019.eu/
 
Description Plenary talk at Virtual FLEX 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Plenary Talk: "Electronics on the brain", Virtual FLEX 2021, Feb. 22-26, 2021 (via teleconference due to COVID restrictions).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://flex.semi.org/
 
Description Poster given by Dr Kasapidou at RSC Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry meeting 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact This annual meeting strives to be on the frontier of science in the field of supramolecular chemistry. The short presentation time allocated during the poster sessions offered Dr Kasapidou an excellent opportunity to highlight and showcase her research to all conference attendees, and network with fellow delegates. Dr Kasapidou was able to add to her knowledge about current state-of-the-art topics and make valuable contacts with many researchers across the UK.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Poster presentation by Dr Kasapidou at OxCD3 Oncological Drug Delivery Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact This conference seeks to transform both clinical and industry practice in drug delivery by demonstrating the value and feasibility of engineering approaches, involving a combination of stimulus-responsive nanocarriers and medical devices, for improved tumour uptake and therapeutic outcome. The purpose of this conference in oncological drug delivery is to share the findings with the expert community, but also to identify and re-focus efforts on those therapeutic strategies. All invited key-note speakers were presenting exciting data which helped to understand the current challenges and opportunities in the field. The presentations defined and analysed the most important state-of-the-art ideas in the area of drug delivery systems. After each session the speakers listed a list of bullet points to encourage the discussion from audience. Dr Kasapidou participated in this meeting with a poster presentation, a great opportunity for her to meet and discuss with experts from this field.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Presentaton at the House of Lords 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Presented our IRC to the House of Lords during day organised by EPSRC
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Project Partners Meeting 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact A meeting to engage with potential partners with expertise in drug delivery technologies.These included small biotech companies, contract research organisations, pharma and engineering companies as well as charity representatives
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Public Seminar on Bioelectronic Medicine, University of Linkoping, Sweden. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Public seminar on the occasion of award of honorary doctorate, reaching current members, alumni and steakholders of Linkoping University.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Public presentation at Cambridge Alumni Festival 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Gave talk on brain implants to Cambridge Alumni Festival
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.alumni.cam.ac.uk/festival/events/electronics-on-the-brain
 
Description Public presentation at Cambridge Society for Application of Research 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Gave talk to Cambridge Society for Application of Research - https://www.csar.org.uk/ - on implantable devices for the brain
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.csar.org.uk/lectures/2020-2021/tbc_20201012/
 
Description RareFest 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Rarefest 22 was a public engagement event focused on raising awareness and promoting understanding of rare diseases. The event was held in Cambridge and aimed to bring together individuals, families, and communities affected by rare diseases, as well as healthcare professionals and researchers. The goal of Rarefest 22 was to increase public knowledge and understanding of rare diseases, and to provide support and resources to those affected. The event featured informative talks, interactive workshops, and opportunities for attendees to connect with others who have similar experiences. Several hundred members of the public attended the even held in the Guild Hall, Cambridge.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017,2022
URL https://www.camraredisease.org/rarefest22/
 
Description Seminar - Constantin C. Coussios 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Seminar by Professor Constantin C. Coussios addressing attendees from various departments, including discussions on future collaborations
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Seminar - Uli Weisner 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Seminar by Professor Uli Weisner (Cornell University) to research community at University of Cambridge
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Seminar -Snow Stolnik & Cameron Alexander 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A seminar attended by academics/researchers from various departments within University of Cambridge, followed by disucssions of how to collaborate more closely in future,
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Seminar by Chris McConville 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Seminar on "ChemoSeed: a solid biodegradable implant for the localised treatment of glioblastoma". Pprompted discussion on regulatory pathway to the clinic.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Seminar by Claudia Fischbach 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Seminar entitled "Engineering models to analyze tumorstroma interactions and their relevance to cancer progression and therapy" prompted discussions on role of matrix in timour progression
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Seminar by Hayley Francies 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Seminar entitled "Towards the next generation of cancer". Pormpted discussion on pre-clinical pathway
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Seminar by Marco Siccardi 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact An on-line seminar by Marco Siccardi on "Mechanistic Modelling for the Prediction of Nanobiomaterial Biodistribution"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Seminar by Ruman Rahman 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact An online seminar titled "Targeting glioblastoma residual disease using neurosurgically-applied drug delivery systems" which lead to a new research collaboration.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description TEDx talk Dusseldorf 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Talk by Ljiljana Fruk at TEDxKoenigsallee in Düsseldorf within the theme "Outside the Bubble"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description TEDx talk on Nanocarriers (Duesseldorf, Germany) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact TED platform is one of the most popular platform to highlight the ideas and personalities. I was invited to give a talk in front of 1000 audience in Duessledorf concert hall, which was distributed further on a TEDx you tube channel generating wider interest. The talk was on the topic on design of nano carriers.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QgJIuT33w0
 
Description Talk at EuroMOF 2019, Paris. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact European MOF conference
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Talk at public outreach event organised by Fundación Ramón Areces 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Talk on symposium organised by Fundación Ramón Areces, attended by the general public
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.fundacionareces.es/fundacionareces/en/events/biomimetic-sensors-their-use-and-potential-...
 
Description Twitter account 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Twitter account established to dissemenate news relevant to the work of the IRC
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Virtual booth at Festival of Tomorrow 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Held virtual booth at Festival of Tomorrow 2021
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.scienceswindon.com/festival-of-tomorrow
 
Description YouTube video - Brain in the Box 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A short video was created explaining the "Brain in a box" phantom developed by IRC researchers in the Institute of Manufacturing, and shared on social media to raise awareness and generate interest in the IFM Open Day as part of the Cambridge Festival.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqYqj253UjQ&ab_channel=IRConTargetedDeliveryforHard-to-TreatCancers