The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Cyprus proudly celebrates this year the 20th anniversary of the admission of the first students to the first Engineering School of Cyprus and launches a series of annual public lectures as part of the ENGi Talks series of events.

The first annual public lecture on “Why is it difficult to treat cancerous tumours? Why tumors are hard to treat: Novel bioengineering approaches to improve cancer therapy“, will take place on Thursday 30 May 2024, at 18.30, in the Ceremonial Hall of the University of Cyprus (75 Kallipoleos Street).

The keynote speaker is the distinguished Associate Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Cancer Biophysics, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Dr Triantafyllos Stylianopoulos, who recently secured the first ERC Advanced Grant for Cyprus after 11 years, with funding from the European Research Council (ERC) of €2.5 million, for his project “Overcoming Mechanically-Induced Resistance to Chemo-Immunotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer” (“MechanoResistance”). The project aims to improve the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

In the context of the lecture, Dr Stylianopoulos will present critical issues related to the treatment of cancer, highlighting the innovative engineering approaches that enhance its treatment, answering the following questions:

• What are the barriers to drug delivery and penetration in cancerous tumours and what are the strategies to overcome them.
• How reprogramming the tumour with biomechanical methods can lead to complete cure and immune memory.
• How the use of ultrasound medical imaging methods predicts treatment efficacy, and results of early clinical trials.

A short welcome address will be given by the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Cyprus, Professor Marina Neophytou, while the event will be addressed by the Rector of the University of Cyprus, Professor Tasos Christofides.

The lecture will be held in English and is open to the public. Registration is required no later than 28/05/2024 at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/UCYengitalks