Laserlab-Europe Newsletter #29: Lasers and Cancer

Cancer affects people of all ages and walks of life, with 2.6 million diagnoses and 1.2 million deaths every year in the EU-27. The use of lasers for cancer treatment began in the 1980s, with laser ablation used on tumours. More recent work uses a far broader spectrum of laser applications, from microscopy to manufacturing. This focus showcases laser methods used in fundamental research into tumour pathology, both as microscopes and in fabricating cell scaffolds, the use of laser imaging and laser microscopy as diagnostic instruments, and work improving the efficacy of photodynamic therapy

• Time domain multi-wavelength diffuse optics: Towards a comprehensive approach for breast cancer management (CUSBO, Italy)
• Two-photon lithography in cancer research (ILC, Slovakia)
• Lasers and cancer detection: Label free nonlinear microscopy for tumour cell visualisation (LaserLaB Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• Photodynamic Therapy and Cancer (CLL, Portugal)
• Radiobiology experiments with laser accelerated ion beams (LULI, LOA, France, CLF, UK and collaborators)
• From molecules to tissue models: Investigating cancer using the Octopus imaging cluster (CLF, UK)
• Non-linear microscopy offers improved tumour biopsies (IESL-FORTH, Greece)
• Photoacoustic imaging – clinical implementation of a novel diagnostic tool for skin tumour delineation (Lund University)

• New Laserlab-Europe Coordinator Sylvie Jacquemot
• Happy birthday lasers!
• ARIE joint position paper
• National Roadmap grant for HFML-FELIX
• Ground breaking ceremony for new EPAC facility
• CREMLINplus inaugurated
• Laboratory operations during COVID-19
• Ludger Wöste new chairperson of the Access Selection Panel

Relativistic-intensity 1.5-cycle light waveforms at kHz repetition rate leads to observation of laser waveform effects in laser-plasma accelerator

In a recent Transnational Access project performed at French Laserlab-Europe partner LOA, an international team made up of researchers from Berlin, Goettingen and Institut Polytechnique de Paris have developed a source of relativistic intensity near-single-cycle laser pulses and observed the first evidence of laser waveform effects inside a laser-plasma accelerator.

ERC Advanced Grants for Anne L’Huillier (LLC) and Gijs Wuite (LLAMS), Consolidator Grants for Stefan Witte (LLAMS) and Norbert Schuch (MPQ)

• HZDR specialises in laser accelerators, Lacus offers a range of spectroscopic techniques,
• HiLASE adds materials science expertise and
• CLPU provides ultra-fast, high-intensity secondary sources.

The addition of these facilities enriches the access programme and the opportunities offered to users.

Editorial Team: Rebecca Davenport, Daniela Stozno, Julia Michel

office@laserlab-europe.eu