Researchers have solved a long-standing mystery about why physical forces slow cancer growth – and the answer could reshape how the disease is treated.  A multidisciplinary team from University of Galway, CÚRAM, the Taighde Éireann-Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices, and KU Leuven in Belgium built an innovative AI accelerated computational model to test the theory.  The research findings suggest that learning to harness the pressure of physical force on a tumour could open an entirely new role for treatments known as mechanotherapies in the fight against cancer.  The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences at https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2523159123  Dr Irish Senthilkumar, postdoctoral researcher and a lead on the study, said: "Cancer cells are known to bypass many of the body's normal growth controls, but tumours still respond to mechanical pressure. Until now we haven't understood why this happens, so our aim was to investigate the underlying mechanics at a cellular level."  Dr Eóin McEvoy, senior researcher with CÚRAM and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at University of Galway, said: "As we understand more about how cell compression and compaction affect things like drug penetration and efficacy, the work has important implications for improving drug responses and designing new mechanotherapy treatment regimens.”  The research highlighted how, for decades, scientists have noticed that tumour cells seem to respond to one thing that chemicals cannot easily override, physical pressure - put enough physical pressure on a tumour, and its growth slows down. But the reason was not fully understood.  The key lies in how cells grow in the first place. Before a cell can divide, it has to get bigger. It does this by manufacturing complex biological molecules (proteins, lipids, and other building blocks) which draws water into the cell through osmosis, inflating it like a tiny balloon. Once the cell reaches a critical size, it can split in two. Under normal circumstances, this swelling process works smoothly. But when a tumour becomes physically confined by the surrounding tissue pressing in on it, something disrupts that process. The external mechanical load creates high hydrostatic pressure, that fights against the osmotic swelling from the inside. The result? Cells can no longer reach the size needed to trigger division. Growth stalls. In other words, the physical architecture of a tumour is not just a passive backdrop, it's an active participant in the disease.  Dr McEvoy added: “The implications stretch well beyond explaining an interesting biological process. Many cancer drugs work by targeting cell division. If a tumour's mechanical environment is already suppressing growth, understanding that interaction could reveal why some drugs work better in certain tumour types or locations, and why others fail.”  The AI accelerated computational model developed by the research team runs complex calculations, simulating how thousands of individual cells collectively grow and reorganise under mechanical stress or the pressure of having no room to grow bigger. Without the AI model, simulations would be impossibly slow.  The researchers validated the model’s predictions against real laboratory experiments using breast cancer spheroids - small, ball-shaped clusters of cancer cells grown in 3D cultures that closely mimic how tumours behave inside the body.  The results showed that the predictions matched the experimental results, giving the scientists confidence that they had identified the genuine mechanism underlying how pressure slows cancer growth.  Ends

Tá ceiliúradh déanta ag Ollscoil na Gaillimhe ar na móréachtaí atá bainte amach acu siúd ar bronnadh Gradam Alumni orthu ag mórshearmanas bronnta ar an gcampas.  Tugann na gradaim aitheantas do chéimithe den scoth ar roghnaíodh iad as pobal alumni na hOllscoile ar fud an domhain. Tá céim bainte amach ag breis agus 145,000 duine ó bunaíodh an Ollscoil sa bhliain 1845.   Tarraingíonn na gradaim aird ar an tsárobair atá déanta ag na halumni seo ina réimsí éagsúla féin a n-áirítear leo na dána, gnó, dlí, seirbhís phoiblí, eolaíocht, sláinte, spórt agus ceannaireacht nua, agus tá faighteoirí na ngradam tar éis tionchar nach beag a imirt ag an leibhéal áitiúil, náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta.  Seo a leanas na daoine ar bronnadh Gradam Alumni Ollscoil na Gaillimhe 2026 orthu: Gradam Alumni do na Dána, an Litríocht agus an Léann Ceilteach An tOllamh Fran O’Rourke, Ollamh Emeritus, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath Gradam Alumni don Ghnó agus an Tráchtáil – Urraithe ag Banc na hÉireann Michael Lohan, Príomhfheidhmeannach, GFT Éireann Gradam Alumni don Ghaeilge Deirdre Ní Choistín, Ard-Stiúrthóir TG4 Gradam Alumni don Dlí, an Beartas Poiblí agus an tSochaí – Urraithe ag RDJ Katie Mannion, Aturnae Bainistíochta, Ionad Dlí  Chomhairle Teifeach na hÉireann Gradam Alumni don Innealtóireacht, an Eolaíocht agus an Teicneolaíocht – Urraithe ag Analog Devices An tOllamh Patrick Farrell, Ollamh le hAnailís Uimhriúil, Ollscoil Oxford Gradam Alumni don Leigheas, an tAltranas agus na hEolaíochtaí Sláinte – Urraithe ag Medtronic An tOllamh James Meaney, Ollamh le Raideolaíocht agus Stiúrthóir, Ionad Thomas Mitchell d’Ardíomháú Leighis (CAMI), Ospidéal San Séamas agus Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath Gradam Alumni don Rannpháirtíocht sa Spórt  Fiona Murtagh, Rámhaí a bhfuil Curadh an Domhain bainte amach aici Gradam Alumni do Cheannairí Nua – Urraithe ag BioInnovate        Ruth Mackey agus David Mackey, lucht bunaithe Mbryonics  Dúirt an tOllamh David Burn, Uachtarán Ollscoil na Gaillimhe: “Ceann de na hócáidí is tábhachtaí i bhféilire na hOllscoile is ea na Gradaim Alumni, áit a dtagaimid le chéile chun ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ar an tionchar ollmhór atá ag ár gcéimithe ar fud an domhain. Léiríonn gach duine d’fhaighteoirí na bliana seo tallann, uaillmhian agus luachanna Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, agus táimid an-bhródúil as a gcuid éachtaí. Léiriú is ea rath na bhfaighteoirí seo ní hamháin ar a mbarr feabhais féin ach, anuas air sin, ar a láidre is atá ár bpobal alumni ar fud an domhain, agus nasc an phobail sin leis an Ollscoil.” Críoch

University of Galway has celebrated the achievements of its 2026 Alumni Award honourees at its gala award ceremony on campus.  The awards recognise outstanding graduates from across the University’s global alumni community. Since the establishment of the University in 1845 more than 145,000 people have graduated.   The awards highlight exceptional contributions from our alumni across a range of fields including the arts, business, law, public service, science, health, sport and emerging leadership, with recipients making a significant impact at local, national and international level.  The 2026 University of Galway Alumni Award recipients were: Alumni Award for Arts, Literature and Celtic Studies Professor Fran O’Rourke, Emeritus Professor, University College Dublin Alumni Award for Business and Commerce - Sponsored by Bank of Ireland Michael Lohan, Chief Executive Officer, IDA Ireland Gradam Alumni don Ghaeilge Deirdre Ní Choistín, Director General of TG4 Alumni Award for Law, Public Policy and Society – Sponsored by RDJ Katie Mannion, Managing Solicitor, Irish Refugee Council Law Centre Alumni Award for Engineering, Science and Technology - Sponsored by Analog Devices Professor Patrick Farrell, Professor of Numerical Analysis, University of Oxford Alumni Award for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences – Sponsored by Medtronic Professor James Meaney, Professor of Radiology and Director, Thomas Mitchell Centre for Advanced Medical Imaging (CAMI), St James’s Hospital and Trinity College Dublin Alumni Award for Contribution to Sport  Fiona Murtagh, World Champion Rower Alumni Award for Emerging Leader - Sponsored by BioInnovate        Ruth Mackey and David Mackey, founders of Mbryonics  Professor David Burn, University of Galway President, said: “The Alumni Awards are one of the most important occasions in our university calendar, as we come together to celebrate the extraordinary impact our graduates are making across the world. Each of this year’s recipients embodies the talent, ambition and values of University of Galway, and we are immensely proud of their achievements. Their success reflects not only their individual excellence, but also the strength of our global alumni community and its continued connection to the University.” Ends