More than 40 years ago, the U.S. government declared a “war on cancer” and committed to investing in laboratory and clinical research in order to understand the causes of cancer and thereby aid its diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Despite enormous advances and important improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of many cancers, the “war” has in significant ways progressed less than originally hoped. The complexity of the disease is clearly evident by the dynamic and evolving course the disease takes during its progression and response to treatment. Building on progress in the molecular sciences and advanced technologies, the exploration of physical laws and engineering principles that shape and govern the emergence and behavior of cancer at all scales may provide a complementary perspective. In an attempt to bring in different perspectives into cancer, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) launched two major initiatives, namely Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers (PS-OC) Program and Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer (ANC), with goal of exploring opportunities to advance cancer research by integrating physical scientists/engineers and their approaches with the more traditional research effort in cancer biology and clinical oncology. In this talk, examples of blending physical sciences/engineering perspectives with oncology will be presented to illustrate that fostering the development of innovating and promising approaches could lead to a paradigm shift in the way we understand and ultimately and treat this disease and more broadly to other biomedical applications.
