Medical radioisotopes are widely used in cancer treatment, but their production has been hampered to the point that obtaining them has become a challenge. The lack of Technetium-99m is probably the most widely known, but there’s also a shortage of Iodine-131 (I-131), a radioisotope commonly used for diagnosing and treating thyroid conditions because the thyroid absorbs […]
Tag: Oncology
Hairy Coating Keeps Nanoparticles Safe from Immune System, Liver
Nanoparticles are seemingly a great way to treat tumors, but they’re so rapidly washed out by the bloodstream that few of the nanoparticles actually reach their targets. Researchers at Drexel University have now developed a surface treatment that gives nanoparticles a significant advantage to overcome the body’s filtration system and therefore make nanotherapies much more […]
Hairy Coating Keeps Nanoparticles Safe from Immune System, Liver
Nanoparticles are seemingly a great way to treat tumors, but they’re so rapidly washed out by the bloodstream that few of the nanoparticles actually reach their targets. Researchers at Drexel University have now developed a surface treatment that gives nanoparticles a significant advantage to overcome the body’s filtration system and therefore make nanotherapies much more […]
Microfluidic Device to Study How Pancreatic Cancer Develops Clots
Using lab animals in medical science is not only an ethical issue, but the research findings often don’t match up to what happens in humans. Simulating various natural processes within microfluidic devices often a provides a more reliable, and easier to work with, laboratory technique over live animals. Researchers at Purdue University have built a microfluidic […]
Optoacoustic Guidewire System for Breast Cancer Localization
Breast lumpectomy for breast CA is an imprecise procedure that too often results in cancerous tissue being left behind. About a quarter of patients have to come back and go through the surgery yet again. This is in large part due to the fact that guidewires are the standard way to point to the location […]
Microfluidic Chips to Diagnose and Characterize Cancer: Interview with Prof. Fatih Sarioglu, Georgia Tech
Research into microfluidic devices to aid in cancer diagnosis promises huge leaps in making diagnostics easier and faster. Much of this research is focused on chips that can trap circulating tumor cells (CTCs) which are present in blood samples. CTCs are released from a primary tumor and can form metastases in other sites in the […]
Siemens Releases New MRI and PET/CT Scanner for Radiation Therapy Planning
At the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting, Siemens Healthineers has unveiled its RT Pro edition for Biograph Vision PET/CT scanner and MAGNETOM Sola 1.5 Tesla MRI machine to help with radiation therapy planning. Both systems are specifically designed to aid in planning of radiotherapy procedures and each features some major improvements over previous devices. The RT […]
New Efficient Method for Sequencing Epigenetic Modifications
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine have developed a new method for sequencing chemical groups attached to the surface of DNA. These chemical groups are modifications of the DNA bases that convey important information relating to the patterns of gene expression. These modifications have been studied for the past two decades and […]
Nanoparticles Encapsulating Chemotherapy Drugs to Kill Triple Negative Breast Cancer
The cells of triple negative breast cancer tumors don’t have receptors for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2, the main targets used to attack breast cancers. This is why they’re so difficult to treat, but researchers at George Washington University have shown that a technique of delivering a chemotherapy agent within specially designed nanoparticles can be very powerful […]
Micro-Patterned Cell Culture Platform Reveals Unknown Cancer Behavior
Researchers at Hokkaido University have developed a micro-patterned cell culture platform to study the behavior of pancreatic cancer cells. The new cell culture substrate revealed previously unknown and clinically relevant pancreatic cell behaviors that could help researchers to develop new therapies. “Cancer studies so far either use cell cultures in which cancer cells don’t necessarily […]
Precipio Announces ICEme Kit for Lung Cancer Mutation Detection
Earlier this year, Medgadget heard from Precipio CEO Illan Danieli on how his company uses advanced diagnostics and personalized medicine to reduce the prevalence of cancer misdiagnosis. Over 1 million patients globally and about 200,000 patients in the U.S. are annually diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This week, the company announced the launch ICEme, a new […]
Focused Ultrasound and Intranasal Drug Delivery for Brain Cancer Therapy
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new method to bypass the blood-brain barrier and deliver drugs to the brain, which could be particularly useful in difficult-to-treat brain tumors. The technique involves administering drugs through an intranasal spray, meaning that the drug can travel directly into the brain along the trigeminal and olfactory […]
Deton is Developing “Aerosol Biopsy” to Detect Lung Diseases
Biopsies and bronchoscopies are the gold standard for diagnosing lung diseases, including pneumonia and cancer. However, these procedures are difficult to provide, requiring general anesthesia and an operating room. Deton hopes to simplify the process. The Pasadena-based company takes advantage of the lung’s natural reaction to bacteria or particles — coughing it out. Rather than […]
New Sniper Balloon Occlusion Microcatheters Cleared in Europe
Embolx, out of Silicon Valley, won the European CE Mark for its latest Sniper Balloon Occlusion Microcatheters. The devices are used to help deliver embolic agents in such varying procedures as helping to treat tumors, uterine fibroids, and enlarged prostate. The new family of the devices include features to make them easier to navigate through small […]
Artificial Intelligence Optimizes Chemo and Radiotherapy to Treat Glioblastomas
Patients with glioblastoma, a persistent and difficult to treat brain cancer, often end up suffering through multiple rounds of chemo and radiation therapy. Scientists at MIT have been working on harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to better optimize the therapy dosages, sparing the patients the brunt of the treatments while maintaining their clinical effectiveness. […]
Genotype-Specific Microparticle Treatment for Brain Cancer
Researchers from Harvard and MIT have developed microparticles that can treat a specific genetic subtype of glioma, a brain cancer. The microparticles slowly release a drug that specifically targets cancer cells that rely on a particular enzyme. During surgery to remove the brain tumor, clinicians can conduct a rapid (30 min) genetic test on a […]
New Device for Testing Immunotherapies on Tumor Fragments
Immuno-oncology, a rapidly developing field that harnesses the body’s immune system to attack cancers, lacks effective methods of testing potential therapies. In addition to animal studies, tiny bits of tumors are placed, along with chemical compounds being tested, within multiwell plates and watched over using a number of techniques. While this has allowed the field […]
Molecular Sensor to Detect if Cancer Drug is Working
Being able to monitor the chemical content of cancer cells may help scientists develop new anti-cancer medications. Additionally, it may also lead to personalized drug therapies for cancer patients that all too often end up trying multiple medications before finding one that works. Chemists at MIT have come up with just such a tool for […]
SCOUT Wire-Free Tissue Localizer Cleared in U.S. for Soft Tissues
Cianna Medical, based in Aliso Viejo, CA, won FDA clearance for its SAVI SCOUT wire-free technology to be used for localizing of soft tissues. Previously, in the U.S. the SCOUT has only been indicated for use in localizing breast tumors (see flashbacks below). “SCOUT resolves one of the most difficult aspects of breast cancer treatment by […]
Magnets Pull Chemotherapy Drugs Across Blood-Brain Barrier Into Spinal Tumors
Tumors within the spinal cord can be very difficult to treat surgically, due to the extremely fragile and important tissues that can be found nearby. While radiation can reach the tumors, chemo agents have trouble crossing the blood-brain barrier, which protects the spinal cord from dangerous pathogens and chemical compounds. Now researchers at the University […]