From Imaging to Intervention in Cancer
Pint of Science Festival 2026
- Date and time
- to
- Attendance
- This is an in-person event
- Location
- National Science and Media Museum, Bradford, BD1 1NQ
Join us for an engaging evening of science at National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, where researchers share fascinating discoveries with the public.
In this event, we explore how metals from the periodic table are being developed into cancer treatments. From platinum drugs to emerging research on gold and ruthenium, discover the surprising role of metals in modern medicine. We will also elucidate the importance of fluorescence to distinguish cancer cells.
Tickets: £5.00 and helps support the non-profit organisaton.
Your Speakers:
Dr Maria Azmanova, Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry
When you think of metals, you might picture coins, jewelry, or toxic elements like lead. But some metals can also save lives. This talk explores how scientists use metals to create cancer medicines. We’ll look at the accidental discovery of platinum drugs like cisplatin and exciting new research using metals such as gold and ruthenium. Discover how these metallodrugs work in the body and how chemists are designing the next generation of treatments.
Dr Goreti Ribeiro Morais, Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry
Cancer cells are the unique and outstanding houses in the neighbourhood. They have different decorations, either inside or at their surface (their external walls), and that is what distinguish them from normal cells. However, when we look by eye at normal and cancer cells it is like in a foggy day, where we can barely see the difference between the houses. Therefore, we cannot tell which one is normal cell and which one is cancer cell. At the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, we have developed a simple method to identify the cancer cells straightway, with no need for a GPS system. It relies on the ability of our compound to navigate through the neighbouring cells and only becomes light when it reaches the cancer cell. This is because this invisible compound acts on the distinctive decoration of the cancer cell, and then switches the light. This switch of the light allows us to see immediately the cancer cell that is hidden behind the houses, trees or in the middle of the forest.
Pint of Science is an annual worldwide science festival which brings researchers to your local pub/cafe/space to share their scientific discoveries with you - no prior knowledge required.
It is a grassroots non-profit organisation that has grown astronomically over the few years since two people decided to share their research in the pub. Although their mission has expanded, their core values remain the same: to provide a space for researchers and members of the public alike to come together, be curious, and chat about research in a relaxed environment outside of mysterious laboratories or daunting dark lecture theatres.
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