Centre for Nanomedicine and Surgical Theranostics (CNS)

The Centre carries out translational multidisciplinary research on nanomedicine and targeted therapy and diagnostics of solid cancers and diseased lesions.

Head: Prof. Sandy MacRobert
Deputy Head: Prof. Nikolitsa Nomikou

Professor Sandy MacRobert is the Head of Centre which comprises groups led by Principal Investigators drawn from laboratory and surgical disciplines working alongside postdoctoral, graduate researchers and students. To foster our interdisciplinary approach we maintain strong collaborative links with other departments within UCL including Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Engineering.

New nanotechnology tools for surgical oncology to enable improved intraoperative imaging and targeted therapy. Treatment of infections using nanoparticles with anti-microbial properties.
Investigation of ablative techniques for surgery (eg ultrasound, near-IR irradiation, cryotherapy) and their combination with chemotherapy as adjuvants to surgery.
Development of tumouroid 3D in vitro cultures of cancer, which mimic the composition and architecture of solid tumours as platforms for testing therapeutics and stratified medicine.
Clinical trials in surgical oncology and renal cancer ablation and diagnostics.

The research facilities include 3D model fabrication and culture of primary cells for cancer, nanoparticle manufacture, reactive oxygen species detection using time-resolved spectroscopy, high power laser irradiation, ultrasound delivery, thermal imaging, NIR imaging, X-ray fluorescence imaging, Monte-Carlo simulation modelling.

Current research funding is drawn from the EPSRC, MRC, Innovate UK, British Council, NIHR and charitable sources. We also work closely with industrial partners, for example nanoparticle testing in experimental cancer models.

Staff:

Rijan Gurung

Joana Neves

Fabiola Sciscione

Kate Ricketts (Bloomsbury)

Honorary staff:

Pilar Acedo Nunez

Professional Services staff

Departmental administrator: Chau Chong

Teaching administrators: Julie Cheek, Zoe Lau, Stephanie McColl, Edd Charnley

Finance administrators: Rashika Rupasinghe

Technical staff: Heike Lee-Muller, Evelin Karageorgiou, Katerina McCann

Teaching Fellow: Amy Yutong Li

Publications

The anti-angiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitor Pazopanib kills cancer cells and disrupts endothelial networks in biomimetic three-dimensional renal tumouroids.

Stamati K, Redondo PA, Nyga A, Neves JB, Tran MG, Emberton M, Cheema U, Loizidou M.J Tissue Eng. 2020 11:2041731420920597. doi: 10.1177/2041731420920597.

Photobactericidal activity activated by thiolated gold nanoclusters at low flux levels of white light. Hwang GB, Huang H, Wu G, Shin J, Kafizas A, Karu K, Toit HD, Alotaibi AM, Mohammad-Hadi L, Allan E, MacRobert AJ, Gavriilidis A, Parkin IP. Nature Com. 2020 11(1):1207. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-15004-6.

Photodynamic Therapy in Primary Breast Cancer. Banerjee SM, El-Sheikh S, Malhotra A, Mosse CA, Parker S, Williams NR, MacRobert AJ, Hamoudi R, Bown SG, Keshtgar MR. J Clin. Med. 2020 10;9(2):483. doi: 10.3390/jcm9020483.

Safety and feasibility of early single-dose mitomycin C bladder instillation after robot-assisted radical nephroureterectomy.

Gulamhusein A, Silva P, Cullen D, Tran M, Mumtaz F, Patki P, Barod R, Bex A. BJU Int. 2020 doi: 10.1111/bju.15162

Photoactivable polymers embedded with cadmium-free quantum dots and crystal violet: Efficient Bactericidal Activity against Clinical Strains of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.

Owusu EGA, MacRobert AJ, Naasani I, Parkin IP, Allan E, Yaghini E. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 2019 11(13):12367-12378. doi: 10.1021/acsami.9b02109.

Cancer cells grown in 3D under fluid flow exhibit an aggressive phenotype and reduced responsiveness to the anti-cancer treatment doxorubicin.

Azimi T, Loizidou M, Dwek MV. Sci Rep. 2020 21;10(1):12020. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-68999-9

Cathepsin B-degradable, NIR-responsive nanoparticulate platform for target-specific cancer therapy. Tarassoli SP, de Pinillos Bayona AM, Pye H, Mosse CA, Callan JF, MacRobert A, McHale AP, Nomikou N.Nanotechnology. 2017 28(5):055101. doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/28/5/055101

In vivo biodistribution and toxicology studies of cadmium-free indium-based quantum dot nanoparticles in a rat model. Yaghini E, Turner H, Pilling A, Naasani I, MacRobert AJ. Nanomedicine. 2018 14(8):2644-2655. doi: 10.1016/j.nano.2018.07.009.

Nomikou N, Curtis K, McEwan C, Callan B, Callan JF, McHale AP. A versatile, stimulus-responsive nanoparticle-based platform for use in both sonodynamic and photodynamic cancer therapy. Acta Biomaterialia 2017;49:414–421

The bottom line for lesion localization in breast cancer. Ahmed M.Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 2020 182(3):523-525. doi: 10.1007/s10549-020-05735-x.

Protocol for a feasibility study of a cohort embedded randomised controlled trial comparing NEphron Sparing Treatment (NEST) for small renal masses.

Neves JB, Cullen D, Grant L, Walkden M, Bandula S, Patki P, Barod R, Mumtaz F, Aitchison M, Pizzo E, Ranieri V, Williams N, Wildgoose W, Gurusamy K, Emberton M, Bex A, Tran MGB. BMJ Open. 2019 11;9(6):e030965. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030965.