Overview
Our vision is to bring together all the disciplines working on cancer-related imaging technologies in a concerted effort to improve outcomes in cancer. This will be delivered through three primary areas of activity; a Technology Platform, a Translational Applications Pipeline and Cross Cutting Activities. The Centre’s Principal Investigators are Professor Tony Ng, Professor Richard Begent, Professor Phil Blower and Professor David Hawkes.
Technology Platform
A multidisciplinary imaging technology platform supports the Centre’s activities. It is based on molecular science, physics, biology, chemistry and informatics and builds on combined King’s College London and UCL resources.
Translational Applications Pipeline
For development of cancer imaging and therapies, the focus is on in vitro target identification, therapeutic molecule design and optimisation of function with in vivo drug development. We believe that such a systematic approach will provide a much higher yield from drug development compared to conventional approaches. The research themes of the centre all have a place in this system, with integration provided by the biomedical informatics section.
Cross Cutting Activities
Biomedical Informatics
Integration of data and technologies across the Centre is essential if the potential benefits are to be realised and shared with the wider research community.
We place high standards for data quality and storage and aim to use compatible data standards within and between research domains. Using these principles, we hope to encourage and enable valid interrogation of databases.
Training and Education
The CCIC provides specific training for individual technologies and integration between technologies. We believe there is a need to train non-clinical and clinical scientists in multidisciplinary thinking, learning and research. CCIC staff use the environment to provide postgraduate courses and research studentships encompassing the ethos of hypothesis testing in the integrated, multi-technology environment.