This talk is an introduction to the pioneering work on
cancer research within the group of Prof. Peter Weightman (Department of
Physics University of Liverpool) and collaborators. The work is aimed at the
development of new ways to spot early signs of cancer and in understanding
cancer growth and its interaction with drugs. A particular focus is given to
cancers, such as in the lower oesophagus, which are very difficult to detect at
an early stage in their development. The project brings together scientists
with expertise in physics, biology, chemistry and accelerators, and medical
doctors. The infrared region of the spectrum is important because it is a
fingerprint region, which can be used to identify specific molecules and
cellular features; within this work, it is used as a probe to image cells and
tissue including oesophageal, oral, breast, prostate and cervical cancers. A
variety of sources of infrared radiation are utilised, including the high
intensity infrared free-electron-laser (FEL) on the state-of-the-art particle
accelerator at Daresbury Laboratory. Techniques include SNOM, AFM-IR and FTIR,
which are complementary and cover a range of spatial resolutions. Image
analysis routines are being developed and refined within the groups.