Cancer Research UK has launched Play to Cure: Genes in Space, an app which allows people to play a game while helping the development of cancer research.

The game itself, as you can see in the video below, tasks users with plotting a course through a graph based on real genetic data, and then guiding a virtual spaceship through a level generated from this data.

By playing, users are spotting patterns in a way that computers couldnt manage, which are then fed back to Cancer Researchs scientists.

“Every single second gamers spend playing our smartphone game directly helps our work to beat cancer sooner,” said Hannah Keartland, head of Cancer Researchs citizen science project. “Our scientists’ research produces colossal amounts of data, some of which can only be analysed by the human eye – a process which can take years.”

Its not the first time Cancer Research UK has utilised the public to help its research: the Cell Slider game, launched in October 2012, asked users to classify breast cancer samples using a similar mechanic.