John Boyega helping to fight cancer in his sleep

John Boyega is helping to fight cancer in his sleep.

The 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' star is asking for smartphone users to help fight cancer by downloading the DreamLab app, which will harnesses the processing power of the user's smartphone to analyse the huge amount of cancer research data.

He said: ''The Vodafone foundation and DreamLab are collaborating alongside Imperial College. Cancer research is complicated. This collaboration means research will be faster and people get the information that they need and I think that is so important. To make this incredible change it would take one computer 300 years and with 100,000 phones it would take three months so this is a great thing to be involved with minimally - you're sleeping and also you're a hero.

''I've just been meeting a couple of the young scientists and they have been telling me about the stuff they do on a day-to-day basis. It's commitment - it's a lot of sleepless nights and I can see the tiredness in their eyes. But you can tell they are doing this for a good cause. This is something that is very, very important to them and they are very passionate about them and I think we should support them.''

John visited the library at Imperial College London in his pyjamas and then went to meet cancer researchers to find out more about the app and research project.

Andrew Dunnett, Director of the Vodafone Foundation, added: ''DreamLab is a great example of the transformative power of connectivity and technology. This innovative app gives everyone the chance to play a part in the fight against cancer while they sleep. We hope DreamLab will significantly increase the speed at which Imperial College and other researchers are able to make breakthroughs in cancer research, ultimately saving lives.''

The app is free to download and free to use for Vodafone customers, meaning it does not eat into monthly data allowances. The app can also be used across other networks, where users can choose how much data they wish to donate or connect via Wi-Fi.

To download the app, search for DreamLab in the iOs App store or Android Play Store.