Mining dust, cool light and startup rankings: News from Imperial

Credit: Patrick Howlett

Here’s a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial.

From mining dust to cooling light to startup hub rankings, here's some quick-read news from across Imperial.

Cool light  

Researchers have been surprised to find a curious interaction between scattered light and sound waves can have a cooling effect.  

In experiments, researchers directed light into a glass microsphere - only four times wider than a human hair - that traps both light and high-frequency sound waves by continually reflecting them around its circumference.

They found that as photons of light were scattered by soundwaves within the sphere, the temperature dropped until no more photons were observed. 

Kyle Major from the Quantum Measurement Lab in Imperial’s Department of Physics, who was co-first author of the research paper, said: “Using zero-photon detection to help cool quantum systems into their ground state will help with the development of quantum computers and quantum networks, as well as testing the fundamental laws of physics.” 

Read more about the team's findings in New Scientist, and the full paper.  

Startup success 

Imperial has seen its entrepreneurship hubs rise in a major Europe-wide ranking by the Financial Times, with two hubs in the top 10 for the UK & Ireland region.  

The Europe’s Leading Start-up Hubs list for 2025, run by The Financial Times, Statista and Sifted, placed Imperial Enterprise Lab as 25th and Undaunted as 52nd in Europe. The two hubs were also placed 6th and 10th in the UK & Ireland. In last year’s list, the Enterprise Lab and Undaunted were ranked as 49th and 64th respectively in Europe. 

The Enterprise Lab is a dedicated support service for students, staff and alumni who want to develop their entrepreneurial skills and networks. It runs two flagship annual programmes – the Venture Catalyst Challenge and WE Innovate for women-led teams – as well as year-round support services and expert guidance. Undaunted is Imperial’s hub for climate innovation, helping to support green entrepreneurship and the acceleration of startups and SMEs tackling climate change. 

The Financial Times ranking is compiled from a pool of more than 2000 startup hubs across Europe, such as incubators and accelerators, with hubs evaluated on the quality of their mentoring and training, infrastructure, legal assistance, funding, networking, and business development advice. 

Read the full list here. 

Stroke treatment

Blood thinners can reduce the risk of stroke in patients who have survived a brain hemorrhage and have an irregular heartbeat. But treatment comes with the risk of future brain bleeds.

These are the findings from a major European trial, which assessed the impact of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). The PRESTIGE-AF trial showed that DOACs effectively prevent the risk of ischemic stroke for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) survivors with atrial fibrillation.

While the trial shows a net benefit from the drugs, the researchers found the treatment also increases the risk of further brain bleeds.

Professor Roland Veltkamp, from Imperial’s Department of Brain Sciences and principle investigator on the trial, explained: “DOACs effectively reduced the risk of ischemic stroke and of other ischemic events. We are now waiting for data from further studies to clarify the net benefit of this treatment for patients.”

Read more about the findings, published in The Lancet.

European funding

Dr Alicia D’Souza’s (NHLI) team has won funding from a European partnership funding scheme that supports mid-career researchers investigating heart and circulatory diseases.

The funding, from the British Heart Foundation, Dutch Heart Foundation, German Centre for Cardiovascular Research and Lefoulon-Delalande Foundation, aims to encourage mid-career researchers across the four countries to share knowledge and resources. The latest grants amount to just over €5 million (approx. £4.2 million) for two teams.

Dr D’Souza’s project has been awarded £1.7mn to investigate whether gene therapy can repair issues with the heart’s electrical wiring system. Her three-phase project will investigate the therapy in mice, pigs and in human heart tissue collected from three centres, including Imperial.

Dr Alicia D’Souza said: “As a BHF Intermediate Fellow, this is a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with leading mid-career researchers based in Europe. It allows us to take the vital next steps in assessing the potential for gene therapy to repair dysfunctional conduction in heart failure.”

Read more details on the BHF website

Action on mining dust

In a recent comment article in Lancet Public Health, Dr Patrick Howlett (NHLI) called for urgent action to address the estimated 50 million small-scale miners worldwide who are at risk of a growing epidemic of lung disease.

Small-scale miners tend to be self-employed, carry out labour-intensive extraction, and have few occupational hygiene and safety precautions. Working mainly in Asia, Africa and South America, they produce 20% of global gold and other vital minerals. 

Dangerously high levels of dust, a lack of research support and socioeconomic and political factors are leading an epidemic of silicosis and tuberculosis, including the current outbreak of silicosis among artificial stone workers. Future mineral demand is expected to rise with the green energy transition, driving further expansion of small-scale mining.

Dr Howlett says: “We are calling for an urgent, coordinated strategy that safeguards international workers, focusing on primary dust prevention, targeted research, and policy reforms. Without immediate action, millions of miners remain at risk of severe lung disease and premature death.”

Read the article in Lancet Public Health

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