New publications
Scientists have used VR to study cancer processes
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Most of us treat VR – virtual reality – only as entertainment. For many, VR is associated primarily with computer games and watching movies. However, this technology can become a powerful tool for studying cancer processes. This is what scientists from the Australian University of New South Wales recently announced.
University employees have come up with a new VR technology that allows one to “move” across the relief of human cells and observe first-hand the birth and death of malignant cells, including monitoring the mechanism of action of antitumor drugs.
In essence, Australian scientists have managed to create a model of a human in virtual reality, using modern scientific approaches, microscopic visualization and animation. Now doctors will be able to “enter” the human body at the level of cellular structures, using only a special headset.
However, this is not all: almost all the most important components for the procedure are available, because they are widely used in the entertainment industry. It can be said that the system for studying cancer processes in some way resembles a virtual game - but a very serious and targeted one.
A little earlier, scientists conducted experiments using virtual reality. However, previously the technology was used by one person at a time. After the new experiment, it became possible for several specialists to penetrate the patient's tissue at once.
The next step in the study should be the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to the cell.
To begin with, specialists need to understand how cancer cells and the drug molecule interact. The best option is to see the entire interaction process with your own eyes. If we monitor the movement of cells using virtual reality technology, it will be possible to develop cutting-edge drugs, prevent the spread of metastases, and even visually describe the intricacies of treatment directly to future patients.
The new development was demonstrated to a student audience studying at the Faculty of Pharmacy at Monash University. These students were studying anti-tumor drugs. After sessions of virtual "visiting" the body, the students began to understand all the processes much better than after a regular "dry" study of the program.
"Previously, we did not have access to such virtual "excursions". We sincerely believe that the new technology will allow scientists to recreate and track the mechanisms of action of drugs at the cellular level. This method will be useful in almost all areas - in pharmaceuticals, in practical medicine, in medical education, genetic engineering. In the end, it will be possible to adequately explain to the patient or his relatives how this or that drug will work," explains the prospects of the discovery Dr. Maria Kavallaris.
Scientists plan to practice VR immersion not only in clinical settings, but also at home, Forbes reports.
[