The Science Museum will open a major, free exhibition – Cancer Revolution: Science, innovation and hope – at a special edition of the museum’s popular after-hours, adults-only Lates event on 25 May. In partnership with Cancer Research UK, the exhibition includes objects that have never been displayed in the UK before. Visitors will experience the exhibition for the first time in London, encounter a new interactive artwork exclusive to Lates and take part in workshops and talks across the museum.

After huge success at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, Cancer Revolution will open in London as the first major exhibition to explore the history and future of cancer treatment and research. Visitors will discover incredible historical objects, cutting-edge diagnostic and surgical technologies, encounter new artist commissions and installations, get hands-on with interactive exhibits and experience a breadth of personal stories. The exhibition will reveal how researchers, clinicians, policy makers and patients are fuelling progress in a powerful expression of shared hope and will present the stories of people affected by cancer, together with those who study and treat it.

On display for just one night as part of this special Lates will be new interactive artwork from sculptor Simon Hitchens – Physis. Visitors will be offered sculpting tools and invited to get hands-on with the artwork by literally chipping away at it, symbolically reducing and reshaping its tumour-like form. Commissioned by Pfizer, this participatory piece aims to educate visitors about the changing nature of cancer, and, ultimately, how the stories of people living with cancer are being reshaped by science.

Lates attendees can participate in a discussion with Cancer Research UK about the latest innovations in cancer screening and get hands-on with one of the most useful tools for treatment and detection of cancer, the liquid biopsy, in The Future of Cancer Screening. Attendees can also construct a cancer innovation timeline in Cancer Treatment, Then and Now and discover how cancer is being combatted in ways visitors have never considered before.

Visitors can chat to scientists working at the forefront of cancer research in Meet a Scientist, discover how personalised cancer medicine is created in The Hard Cell and encounter cutting-edge medical tech from Imperial College London in The Future of Surgery.

Cancer Revolution Lates takes place at the Science Museum on Wednesday 25 May 2022 from 18.15 – 22.00. For more information and to book free tickets please visit: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/lates

The expert partner for Cancer Revolution: Science, innovation and hope is Cancer Research UK and at the Science Museum Cancer Revolution is supported by Pfizer (Principal Sponsor) and Julian Howard.

More Lates programme highlights:

What’s the Future of Cancer Treatments?
Hans Rausing Lecture Theatre
20.30 – 21.00
Can we harness our immune systems to treat cancer? Join medical researchers Audrey Teh and Mark Bodman-Smith to discuss the cutting edge of cancer medicine and how complex, personalised treatment could be made cheap and accessible using tobacco plants.

50/50
IMAX: The Ronson Theatre
19.30 – 21.00
Based on the real-life experience of writer Will Reiser, 50/50 is a comedy film that follows the experiences of a 27-year-old man who is diagnosed with spinal cancer and the impact his treatment has on his family and friends. The screening features a pre-recorded virtual introduction from columnist and presenter of the You, Me and the Big C podcast, Deborah James.
Entry £5 per person – tickets available at any ticket desk.

How Can We Beat Health Inequality?
Hans Rausing Lecture Theatre
21.15 – 21.45
Why are some groups of people far more likely to develop and die from cancer than others? Join cancer researcher and founder of Black in Cancer, Sigourney Bell and health data scientist Laura Woods as they discuss the scale of the problem and what can be done to fix it.

Lab Coat Art tells Cancer Patients’ Stories
Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries
18.30 – 21.30 (Drop in)
On display will be three lab coats transformed by artist Rosalind Wyatt, embellished by her with hand stitched messages and drawings from children and adults with rare and hard-to-treat cancers. The team from the Institute of Cancer Research will also be on-hand to discuss their work on innovative cancer treatments.

Medical Revolutions Pub Quiz
The Diner
19.30 – 20.15, 20.45 – 21.30
Would you use elephant bile to treat bad breath? Medicine has come a long way over the centuries. Join us for a pub quiz on medical revolutions to test your knowledge.
Entry £2 per person (card payments only) – tickets available at The Diner.

The CoppaFeel! Boobettes
Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries
18.30 – 21.30 (Drop in)
Meet the Boobettes as they use their experiences of breast cancer to educate you about the importance of getting to know your body. You’ll learn some essential facts that could one day save your life.

Life Time: A Q&A with Russell Foster
Hans Rausing Lecture Theatre
19.30 – 20.15
Could disrupting your body clock make problems with your mental and physical health worse? Meet Russell Foster and find out how optimising your personal routine could make you sleep, work and feel better.

Power UP
Basement Gallery
19.00 – 20.00, 20.30 – 21.30
Get hands-on with a fully interactive gaming event featuring the very best video games and consoles from the past five decades. From Pong to Pac-Man and Minecraft to Mario, there’s something for everyone.
Special Lates price – only £5! Tickets available at any ticket desk.

Silent Disco
Exploring Space
18.45 – 22.15 (Drop in)
Whether you’re practising your moves or just in the mood to slam dunk da funk, grab a headset, select your tunes and dance until you drop.
Entry £3 per person (card payments only) – tickets available in the Exploring Space gallery. Last entrance 22.00.