Telma Marques

Research Areas

PhD Thesis: “Development of Nanoparticles as radiosensitisers under clinical conditions" (2015-2019)

Advisers: Prof. Doutor Jon Golding and Prof.ª Doutora Maria de Fátima Raposo

Cancer is the second most common form of death in Europe. In 2006, 3.1 million new cases were diagnosed and 1.7 million deaths were attributed to cancer within Europe. 50% of the cancer patients receive radiotherapy as part of their treatment, a remedy which is second only to surgery in its ability to cure cancer. The application of radiotherapy is limited by the damaging effects induced in the healthy tissues surrounding tumours. New approaches that may enhance radiosensitivity within tumours have the potential to provide a major impact on the efficient delivery of radiotherapy to patients. Two of the most promising approaches (hadron and nanoparticles-enhanced therapies) are driven by nanoscale phenomena. This proposal aims to optimising radiotherapy by understanding and exploiting nanoscale processes induced by radiation. Such an understanding will open a new era in which radiotherapy is revolutionised to provide more successful cancer treatment with subsequent economic and “quality of life” benefits for the population.