Medical Research at Swansea University

Medical researchers conduct an experiment in the lab.

Support discoveries that will change the world

Donate to research at Swansea University

Better, Kinder Cancer Treatments

Our scientists are leading innovative cancer research with the potential to save countless lives.

From shrinking tumours, to developing quick, painless diagnostic tests, we’re developing world-class technologies of the future. The targeted therapies our scientists are pioneering are designed to be more effective, with fewer side-effects than conventional medicines. While treatments like chemotherapy damage both cancerous and healthy cells, making patients feel very unwell, some of our targeted innovations would attack only the cancerous ones.

Swansea University has a proud research history. In the 2020 Research Excellence Framework, 90% of our research was rated either world-leading or internationally excellent. As we enter the next 100 years as a university, you can help us advance the discoveries that will change the world.

Our Research: Our History

Our Cancer Research

Tumour-Targeting Bacteria

Professor Paul Dyson and his team have been working to fight cancer using tumour-targeting bacteria.

The bacteria they’re working with thrives on the nutrients contained in cancer cells. While these cells are dangerous to us, the bacteria grow inside them. This doesn’t just stop tumours from growing: it shrinks them. Professor Dyson and his team have seen this happen within weeks.

This technology could be used to fight various types of cancer and other diseases and would provide a better, kinder treatment than those with toxic side-effects. This could transform cancer care on a global scale.

Saving women with ovarian cancer

The Centre for Epigenomic and Antibody Drug Conjugate Therapies (CEAT) is working to improve the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer. 11 women die from ovarian cancer each day in the UK. It is commonly diagnosed at a later stage and 95% of women diagnosed at this point do not live beyond five years. CEAT researchers are experimenting with drugs that specifically target ovarian cancer, releasing the medication directly into the cells. As these drugs are engineered to only bind to the cancerous cells, healthy ones are untouched, avoiding some of the harsher side-effects associated with treatments like chemo. The team have gathered data on patients with chemotherapy-resistant and non-resistant samples and are working to understand how to offer effective treatment on an individual basis. This work could save thousands of lives each year in the UK alone.