Professor Robert Pal

Professor of Chemistry

What do you do?

I am a Professor of Chemistry at Durham University, where I completed my PhD in 2008 under the supervision of Professor David Parker, FRS. In 2015, I met Professor James M. Tour from Rice University in Texas, during the Durham Lectures in 2015, leading to a collaboration spurred on by the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Together, we have been studying the feasibility of light-activated molecular nanomachines as a novel form of photodynamic therapy, utilising a unique microscopy technique I developed during my Royal Society University Research Fellowship. After our first ground-breaking publication in Nature in 2017, our patented core research idea is now in licensed clinical trials at MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston.

How are you involved in this area of science? 

I collaborated with US researchers on the successful opening of cell membranes by using light to activate molecular nanomachines. Cells were killed rapidly due to these activated motors puncturing their membranes by drilling through. Such machines show great promise in destroying cancer cells.

The machines were synthesised by the research group of Professor James Tour at Rice University in the US, and tested on synthetic cell membranes by colleagues at North Carolina State University.

We have already demonstrated that our nano-drills can selectively destroy cells using low energy biologically safe near-infra-red light activation. The efficacy of this method was demonstrated and has recently been published in Nature (2017, 548, 567-572).

What do you love about this topic?

We want to make the public feel that they are just as much part of our discoveries as us researchers ourselves and raise awareness of other excellent researchers projects.

We have translated our research into a fun demonstration kit, using remotely controlled, light-powered RC cars (Battlebots: defenders of mankind) as ‘nanomachines’ to pop glow in the dark balloons as ‘cancer cells’. The RC cars need to be controlled by two people. One being responsible for ‘driving’ and the other team mate responsible for powering the car using a specific torch providing a unique activation light.

How does this work deliver real-world impact?

Cancer affects every country regardless of financial status, medicinal infrastructure or the availability of highly skilled specialists and is responsible for 8.2 million deaths per year worldwide. Our vision for the future is to develop a series of light activated molecular nanomachines – nano-drills - to target cancerous cells selectively and safely eradicate them.

We also want to inform the public about our research, and give them a positive attitude and conception towards scientists. We want to inspire and empower them with cutting edge knowledge and demonstrate that leading researchers are just as much humans as they are. This allows us to translate our research aspirations and findings to an easy to understand yet informative and scientifically detailed communication.