Meet the Warwick scientist who's created a new way to detect skin cancer
One of the most exciting things about working at Warwick? The fact that there's research taking place, right here on campus, with the potential to change the world. The Internal Comms team spoke with Professor Emma MacPherson (Physics), who's used her expertise to create a new way to detect skin cancer.
Above: Professor Emma MacPherson (Physics)
Hi, Emma. You've developed a new machine that could be used in the future to accurately spot and diagnose skin cancer. How does it work?
My technology uses THz light, which is a million times lower frequency than x-rays and also non-ionising (i.e. safe!). It's very sensitive to changes in water concentration, which is important because the presence of skin cancer changes water concentration around the tumour.
We've been doing the first patient studies with our technology at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.
What will these first patient studies mean for the way we diagnose and treat skin cancer?
For skin cancer patients, we aim to be able to use the scanner to detect the full extent of a tumour prior to surgery - this will speed up the surgery and enable better skin graft planning. Tumours are often found to have spread beneath the surface of the skin during surgery, requiring more skin to be removed than initially thought - if we could know the full extent of the tumour prior to surgery, then it could all be removed in one go.
For patients with more common conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, we can measure the effect of treatments and help determine the best treatment strategy - currently patients may try several moisturisers for weeks before realising whether they are effective or not.
Does this project mean a lot to you on a personal level?
Yes. I have always wanted to be able to help people and been interested in medicine - though my skills lie in physics, maths and engineering, so it's gratifying to be able to use these skills and develop a technology that could make a big difference to society.
Tell us a little about your role at Warwick...
I joined the Physics department in October 2017. Every day is a bit different - usually a mix of activities including meetings with students and collaborators, checking on my research lab, video calls, scientific reading and writing, data analysis, planning experiments and showcasing results.
Sometimes I travel for work, either nationally or internationally. I have collaborators around the UK and the world, who I've met at various conferences over the years.
Bonus question: what's your favourite thing about working here?
The people. As well as having lots of very smart people, Warwick is very friendly and inclusive.
Above: Emma speaks to the BBC about her work