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NexTGen Cancer Grand Challenges and EFCE “Chemical Engineering and Medicine”

13 February 2023

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NICE and the nature-inspired solution (NIS) methodology could play a significant role in developing new therapies, including for future cancer immunotherapies. In this context, a few important launch events were organised over the past few months.

On 5 December 2022, an excellent workshop was organised in Paris by the , and joined by EFCE’s leadership, through the help of the (France), to launch a new EFCE section on  “Chemical Engineering applied to Medicine”. Special thanks go to Professors David Bogle (鶹ýƵվ) for taking a lead with (EFCE President), (Veolia) and Dr (Uni Toulouse) for the organisation. Prof Marc-Olivier Coppens was invited to present, and spoke about our NICE approach and applications in controlled delivery, combating anti-microbial resistance, and a systems engineering approach to cancer immunotherapy.

Another significant launch was that of the recently awarded, $25M project (led by Dr Martin Pule, 鶹ýƵվ, and Prof Catherine Bollard, Children’s National Hospital), in which the CNIE joins cancer experts from the UK, USA and France to develop cancer immunotherapies that target paediatric solid tumours.

Following online events in October, and a CGC Future Leaders Conference on 2-4 November 2022 in Barcelona (where Dr Matthew Chin, 鶹ýƵվ CNIE presented), an intense in-person workshop was held at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in London on 24 and 25 January 2023. Here, Marc-Olivier Coppens (鶹ýƵվ CNIE) was one of three spotlight speakers, joining Dr. Kevin Litchfield (鶹ýƵվ) and (Stanford). The 6 work packages were introduced and discussed by key investigators on the grant, strategizing on their execution, and an important part revolved around advocacy, poignantly introduced by the patient advocates. This highlighted the immense challenge the team is putting its collective efforts towards, but also the hope presented by this interdisciplinary team. As Yoda famously said: “Do or do not. There is no try”.