Virtual tour opens Institute to the public

Scientists from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute have helped create a virtual tour to allow members of the public see their life-saving work while the country stays in coronavirus lockdown.

The Cambridge Institute has teamed up with the Google Expeditions app -an immersive education tool- to open its doors to everyone and allow online visitors a unique opportunity to see some amazing science through 360 degree photo scenes.

Users of the app, who can choose from over 1000 virtual tours such as swimming with sharks or visiting outer space, can now see inside the world famous Institute and view scientists at work from the comfort and safety of their own home.

Established in 2007, the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute was the first major new cancer research centre in the UK for over 50 years. Today it has a reputation as one of the best and largest cancer research facilities in Europe, supporting world-renowned scientists and researchers working at the forefront of cancer diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

These kinds of virtual experiences not only broaden the audience for such an educational opportunity but are especially important now when actual visits are not possible.”

Professor Greg Hannon, Director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute

To give members of the public a clearer view of what goes on within Institute, virtual reality 360 degree photo scenes allows users to enjoy a snapshot taken from eight different scenes.

The Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute is part of the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine,  where laboratory research is pioneering new treatments for patients including experimental medicine clinical trials.

The link between bench to bedside is just one part of the virtual tour, as visitors follow a human sample showing the different types of research techniques being used at the Institute in the fight against cancer, such as growing cells in tissue culture, tissue staining and genome sequencing.

Prof Greg Hannon, Director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, said: “This experience can provide insight into the journey of patient samples from the clinic to use in life-saving research.  These kinds of virtual experiences not only broaden the audience for such an educational opportunity but are especially important now when actual visits are not possible.”

Available on smart phone and tablet, each picture has a brief overview and ‘highlighted’ points of interest inside each room for the public to explore, alongside frequently asked questions such as why patients take part in research studies and how does the Institute work closely with the nearby Addenbrooke’s Hospital

The Institute is one of four Cancer Research UK Institutes, receiving £22.9 million a year in funding. Branwen  Brockley, Scientific Communications Lead at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, who helped set up the virtual tour, said: “It’s important that people see what we do here -how the money  we are given is spent and how our research is making a difference to patients’ lives. We receive huge amounts of patient samples, around 30,000 samples a year, and through our virtual tour  we are able to show why we need these samples and how they can often lead to clinical trials in the fight against cancer.

”We wanted a tour that we could take out to the public, especially as our lab tours are quite time consuming to set up and we can only allow over 16s in. Google Expeditions was a handy app, that while promoted for use in classrooms with schoolchildren, can be used by anyone. In future we hope to take this to science festivals, school visits, and supporter events to allow people to see the range of techniques and settings being used within a single cancer research institute.

“Our Core Facilities are one of our greatest assets, they provide in house expertise, support and equipment for all our cancer researchers. In this tour we have specifically focused on our Microscopy, Genomics, Histopathology, and Bioinformatics. We hope our virtual tour will allow people to take a look inside this amazing Institute, while gaining a better understanding of the work that we do here.”