TRIALS of an experimental cancer treatment using technology developed in Malvern are going well.

The treatment for liver cancer uses a substance called BioSilicon, invented at QinetiQ and developed by PsiMedica, a firm based at Malvern Hills Science Park.

The treatment, called BrachySil, is being tested by pSivida, an international biomedical company which acquired PsiMedica last August.

This week, pSivida announced that its latest trials on patients with liver cancer have been a success.

Tiny particles of BioSilicon, carrying a radioactive substance, are injected into tumours to kill them off.

The trials show that the treated tumours get smaller by as much as 80 per cent. There was also no adverse effect from the treatment.

pSivida's managing director Gavin Rezos said: "This further human evaluation of BioSilicon has met our expectations in terms of safety and the performance of the fine gauge needle injection procedure.

"We are also very pleased with the significant level of tumour regression achieved given the low dose being administered.

"Proof of the ability of BrachySil to retain radioactivity at the injection site is another significant outcome of the trial."

Further trials will be carried out this year, and pSivida plans to try BrachySil out on other types of cancers.