The context of the research:Approximately one in three people will develop cancer at some point in their lives. Technical improvements in diagnosis and treatment have significantly contributed to improved survival in recent years: the 5 year rate is now 50% and the 10 year rate has doubled in the last 30 years. It is in this context that our research group operates, particularly with reference to radiotherapy, which treats 40% of patients.Each proposing institute has an established track record of delivering innovative research, both individually and as a consortium. Indeed, we jointly created the Engineering & Computational Science for Oncology Network (ECSON), with the aim of establishing a basis for free exchange of cross-disciplinary expertise and knowledge to expedite technical solutions to problems in cancer therapy. Funded by the EPSRC Collaborating for success through people programme, ECSON is a formidable hub composed of 24 leading academic, research, commercial and clinical institutions from 6 European countries.Whilst the majority of physics/engineering activity in oncology is focused on delivering translational research that will be beneficial to patients in the short-term, this feasibility account presents an opportunity to explore some of the riskier ideas, with the potential to engender significant changes in long-term knowledge and treatment, that have emerged from the rich breeding ground of ECSON.The aims and objectives:The proposed research has the potential to open unexplored avenues of investigation of particular relevance to radiotherapy. However the tools and techniques we hope to create may provide the means for other investigators to conduct studies that could well be tangential to our aims.There are 4 themes to our proposal, drawing on different strengths of the proposing institutes:-We aim to investigate the bio-mechanical properties of healthy and cancerous cells when subjected to radiation exposure. We think this could provide evidence implicating the cellular structure as a whole in their response to radiation, as opposed to just the nuclear DNA.-We will investigate subtle structure in 3D/4D (i.e. moving 3D) medical images that we think clinicians may sub-consciously refer to when looking at images. This is particularly relevant to modern image guided radiotherapy where image quality is poor in comparison with diagnostic data.-We will model the complex cytoskeletal structure in cells. We believe this structure is implicit in a cell's mechanical strength, so understanding its structure fully will enable scientific, evidence-based analysis of its contribution. Also we will investigate how it varies in cancerous cells and cells exposed to radiation.-We will measure the 3D movement and articulation of head and neck radiotherapy patients' faces. We hope that we will be able to identify early predictors of treatment complications that can result in loss of facial function.Potential applications and benefits:Each of these themes constitutes an exciting, high-risk, but potentially very rewarding avenue of investigation. If realised, our research aims could, in the medium to long term, bring about very significant benefits in the radiotherapy process. We think they could lead to the introduction of new procedures, improvement in existing treatment methods, or even the dawn of a completely new ways of understanding the manner in which radiation interacts with healthy and diseased cells - i.e. the way in which radiotherapy works! Beyond radiation therapy, we hope that any tools we might develop, or discoveries we might make, during the proposed research could open up a number of new topics for academia. In this respect we are well placed, as the cross-disciplinary nature of the ECSON network provides the means to rapidly communicate findings outside our traditional subject areas. We believe that this work could provide immense gains across all medical fields.

Radiotherapy kills cancerous cells by repeatedly targeting a tumour with high energy radiation. Although image assisted pre-treatment planning based on CT is performed to minimise the amount of healthy tissues being irradiated, the planned treatment is delivered in a manner that is effectively blind, because there is no monitoring of the patient motion and internal anatomy during radiation treatment delivery and no, dynamically modelled, consideration of possible body change during treatment period. This uncomfortable state of affairs persists worldwide, despite complex new treatments and image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) which members of the consortium helped to develop. Furthermore, there is a concern on the additional imaging radiation dose to the patient from the IGRT. Hence, the MEGURATH project was proposed to introduce metrology guided radiotherapy (MGRT), where the patient is measured, imaged and modelled during treatment delivery via optical sensing to provide non-invasive, radiation-free, real-time 3D patient position monitoring, and dynamic deformation modelling to determine the internal anatomical changes. The project is considered as a significant one with a leap forward approach for a grand challenge, and has attracted interest from Elekta Oncology Systems, Philips Medical Systems, VisionRT and NHS-IP.The MEGRATH programme consists of not only comprehensive research activities with diverse theoretical topics, but also translation of science and technology to the first purpose built IGRT research facility in the UK at the Christie Hospital, and the support of clinical studies selected from breast, lung, bowel, prostate and bladder cancers. The project is expected to make a world class contribution to radiotherapy by increasing our understanding of tumour target and organ at risk behaviour, treatment delivery and control of their impact on cure and complications. The marriage of anatomical modelling and dynamic 3D measurement on demand 'in-treatment', using light rather than ionising radiation like X-rays, will offer the opportunity to gain the pole position in engineering and computational science for oncology. The Collaborating for Success through People call is a valuable opportunity to support, complement, utilise and extend the MEGURATH project, thereby enabling the consortium to maintain, defend and widen its lead.The proposed programme of people-based activities starts with exploratory mutual visits by the PIs and group leaders for exchange of knowledge, creation of ideas and development of active collaboration, followed by two-way investigative short visits and relatively long research visits by researchers for synergistic development, cross application and performance evaluation of promising approaches, and finished by a workshop to provide a venue for the consortium to lead the development of a joint EU project proposal with the participating partners. To provide significant added value to the MEGURATH project in terms of scientific knowledge and new clinical applications, 7 eminent research groups and 1 leading 3D equipment company are selected for participation in the proposed people-based activities:-Two from Poland: Telemedicine Group from AGH University of Science and Technology, and Department of Scientific Information from Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum;-Three from France: one from the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA), and the other two from National Centre for Scientific Research (CRNS), namely, Lyon Research Centre for Images and Intelligent Information Systems (LIRIS) and Signal and Image Processing Research Laboratory (ETIS);-One from Germany: Institute for Electronics Signal Processing and Communications (IESK) at Otto von Guericke Universitt Magdeburg; -One from Italy: Signals and Images Laboratory from the National Research Council (CNR); and-3dMD with the company headquarters in the USA.

This project focuses on improving access to knowledge about collections in memory institutions (e.g. museums, galleries, libraries). Much of this knowledge is held in documentation about conservation: this includes records/data created when a) making observations about the production and condition of an object, and b) treating an object as part of conservation work. Conservation Documentation also includes records created as part of scientific analysis of the materials, planning for storage of objects and assessing related risks. Conservation records are rich in technical detail and observations of historical evidence. However, these records are not accessible to either researchers or visitors to memory institutions. Researchers require access to such records. For example, a researcher investigating the origin (provenance) of a book is likely to find information in conservation documentation helpful, as previous treatment documentation may contain binding descriptions, scientific analysis, or other material documentation which indicates provenance. In addition, memory institutions require new ways of engaging with audiences both online and on-site and unlocking conservation data can provide new ways in which to do this. This project establishes a Network of experts working on Conservation Documentation. The Network includes primarily conservators and computer/data scientists but also philosophers, scientists, archaeologists, librarians. They are recognised professionals working in leading memory institutions primarily from the UK and the US as well as from other countries. The Network will investigate current web technologies known as Linked Data to enable accessibility to conservation records. Linked Data (https://www.w3.org/standards/semanticweb/data) technologies allow the publication of records/data in such a way that they can be linked to other resources and enable re-use and discovery. By re-using conservation data, researchers can extract better conclusions because they have access to larger samples and material evidence from expert observations. We believe this will lead to transformative research projects in a) conservation, for assessing the impact of methods and materials, b) history/archaeology, for enabling provenance studies based on material evidence and c) curation/museology, for enabling new ways of engagement based on rich content. By re-using conservation data, memory institutions will be able to tell new stories about their collections to the wider public and engage with audiences through material evidence of objects. The Network will focus on two areas which are essential for implementing Linked Data solutions: a) Terminology, i.e. discussions on agreeing and naming the types of records created (e.g. lists of terms describing possible materials for paintings). An important standard for this work is the Simple Knowledge Organisation System (SKOS - https://www.w3.org/TR/2009/REC-skos-reference-20090818/). b) Modelling, i.e. discussions on how best to store/encode data so that they reflect real-life observations and therefore are reliable sources for research and engagement. The Network will examine existing work in these areas and identify gaps in research which can be addressed in future work. An important standard for this work is the Conceptual Reference Model (CRM - Information and documentation: a reference ontology for the interchange of cultural heritage information, ISO 21127) maintained by a special interest group (CRM-SIG) of the Committee of Documentation (CIDOC) of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The Network will disseminate its findings through engagement with stakeholders which include conservation professional bodies and relevant departments in partner institutions.

Phase 2 of the Linked Conservation Data (LCD) project builds on an existing collaboration between University of the Arts London and Stanford Libraries and a number of other high profile US and UK partners as part of a Research Networking project funded under the AHRC's Highlight Notice for UK/US Collaborations in Digital Scholarship in Cultural Institutions. LCD explores methods for enabling access to knowledge about collections in memory organisations such as museums, galleries, libraries and archives. The work of conservators in these organisations focuses on investigating the structure and condition of objects and treating and protecting them. A core task in conservation is documenting observations made during this work. This creates a wealth of records about material observations, evidence and conclusions on the history of each object. Combining this knowledge with other historical resources such as texts is crucial for researching and interpreting history particularly for contested objects where the narrative from material evidence may be different from the popular understanding of an object. LCD aims to provide ways that conservation documentation can be produced, disseminated and re-used more effectively through Linked Data (https://www.w3.org/standards/semanticweb/data) in order to enable new research and new interpretations through offering researchers enhanced access to conservation data. We anticipate that this will contribute to educational programmes utilising conservation data, the development of improved methods for the protection of our cultural heritage and increased public engagement with collections in memory organisations. During phase 1, the LCD project: - addressed the issue of not being able to cross-search conservation records about the same things because of different vocabularies and established a pathway for harmonising and combining conservation vocabularies so that they can work together (https://www.ligatus.org.uk/lcd/output/142), - studied conservation records and identified some types which are difficult to describe and share and initiated discussions for new proposals to overcome these limitations (https://www.ligatus.org.uk/lcd/output/151), - raised awareness of the value of data in the profession through workshops and webinars (https://www.ligatus.org.uk/lcd/meetings). In phase 2 we aim to develop a Linked Data pilot implementation on book conservation which is of interest to partner organisations such as the Bodleian Library, the Library of Congress and the Stanford Libraries with different datasets harmonised into one system. The project builds on its existing partners and brings together national organisations and universities from the UK and US to form a critical mass of activity able to transform scholarship using conservation data. We are also partnering with major professional bodies in conservation who have agreed to co-author and co-sign a policy/strategy document to promote LCD's objectives. We are involving experts in education who will advise the consortium of how conservation data can be used to help educational programmes for schools in memory organisations. LCD phase 2 is the first step for setting up infrastructure for hosting shared vocabularies and datasets for conservation. We are preparing the consortium for a follow-up phase and we are establishing the foundations for Linked Data projects not only in conservation but potentially in other fields as well. LCD will inform current conservation documentation projects in memory organisations (e.g. three projects are in progress within consortium partners alone). The pilot is essential for testing methods and strengthening the consortium, as partners will work together through cross-disciplinary collaboration. A consortium of this scale with backing from major professional bodies is rare and this is a unique opportunity to make a real change to academic scholarship in memory organisations.