Blood is mostly made up of red blood cells, but also contains white blood cells that are part of the immune system. The blood of cancer patients may also contain circulating tumour cells, which are thought to play a role in how cancer spreads to different organs in the body. It is important to be able to separate out different types of cells from the blood in order to examine them in detail.
New ways to improving the treatment of metastatic disease
Studying the physics of ultrasound waves interacting with fluids and microscopic objects can lead to new ways to improve the diagnosis and treatment of metastatic diseases, such as cancer.
“Using ultrasound-based technology, we can identify and isolate rare cells in the blood by exploiting their unique mechanical properties. This approach allows precise characterisation of thousands of cells, enabling the development of new methods to separate subsets of cells from other blood components,” says Per Augustsson.
The results are expected to improve understanding of the functions of rare cells and support efforts to refine cancer diagnosis and treatment strategies.
“The grant means continuity for the curiosity-driven research I conduct. This means that I can keep key people in my research team for another five years, including myself. It also means that I can recruit new postdocs and doctoral students who can be trained in a challenging and exciting project,” explains Per Augustsson.