An international team of scientists has developed tiny motorized molecules that can drill holes in cells membranes when stimulated by light. The nanomachines could be useful for drug delivery or directly killing cancer cells. The nanomotors are paddle-like chains of atoms, which spin up to 2–3 million times a second when supplied with energy in […]
Tag: Oncology
Technique to Produce Multi-Target Antibody Therapies
Researchers in The Netherlands and Switzerland have devised a new technique to reliably produce antibodies that can bind to two different target molecules at the same time, which could be very useful for cancer immunotherapy. Antibodies are Y-shaped protein structures that can recognize and bind to highly specific target molecules at the tip of each […]
Photoacoustics Measures Oxygenation of Tumors to Help Choose Treatment
Different tumors respond differently to radiation and chemotherapy. There’s a lot of evidence that solid tumors that are poorly oxygenated don’t respond well to these therapies. So having a way to assess tumors for tissue oxygenation can help mitigate and avoid therapies that are dangerous to the rest of the body. At University of Cambridge […]
Integrated Heart/Cancer on a Chip Helps Discover Side Effects of Drugs
At Kyoto University in Japan researchers have created what they call an Integrated Heart/Cancer on a Chip (iHCC) that was designed to help discover side effects of anti-cancer and other medications. The microfluidic system, which is smaller than a common glass slide used with microscopes, consists of healthy myocardial cells populating some chambers and cancerous liver cells […]
Ultrasound and Microbubbles for Targeted Chemotherapy Delivery
Researchers in Norway have developed a chemotherapy delivery system consisting of microbubbles containing drug-loaded nanoparticles. When the researchers apply ultrasound to the microbubbles in a tumor, the microbubbles burst, releasing the nanoparticles and the chemotherapeutic drug. Researchers worldwide are trying to develop new ways to increase the success of chemotherapy for cancer, and reduce its […]
Rapid Hepatocellular Carcinoma Test Can be Administered Anywhere
Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a rapid and highly portable liver cancer screening test, that can be administered anywhere. One of the biggest challenges in treating liver cancer is that often symptoms don’t appear until the disease is in the later stages, meaning it is important that people are tested rapidly when […]
Plasmonic Lasers Find, Destroy Circulating Tumor Cells to Prevent Metastasis
Though reasonably good techniques for ridding the body of primary tumors have been developed over the decades, preventing metastasis is still a major challenge. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) break off from established tumors and wonder off to start new mets in other parts of the body. To prevent CTCs from safely traveling through the blood […]
Deep Sequencing of Loose DNA in Blood for Early Detection of Many Cancers
A collaborative project between scientists in the U.S., Denmark, and The Netherlands has developed a way of spotting bits of DNA in blood that derive from tumors deep in the body. The technology may allow for early detection of cancers before any symptoms arise and earlier than any other existing approach. Though the fact that tumors […]
Gold Nanostars and Immunotherapy Combined for a Cancer Vaccine
Researchers at Duke University have combined an FDA approved immunotherapy and a gold nanostar/laser treatment to completely eradicate tumors and vaccinate against the cancer. The team’s technique involves injecting gold nanoparticles into the bloodstream. These star-shaped nanoparticles (nanostars) can accumulate in tumors after circulating within the blood. Then the tumor is blasted with a laser, […]
New Way to Reprogram Macrophages Helps Immune System Kill Tumors
Macrophages, as their greek-derived name implies, are hungry white blood cells that consume all kinds of foreign and unwanted objects within the body. They are one of the primary methods that the immune system uses to fight off disease, and they work by checking the protein content on the exterior of cells to identify whether […]
Hemopurifier Filters Ebola, Hep C, Metastatic Melanoma: Interview with James A. Joyce, CEO of Aethlon Medical
Filtering infectious pathogens and cancer cells directly from whole blood has been an almost fantastic proposition, but the Hemopurifier from Aethlon Medical does just that. We’ve been covering it for over 10 years on Medgadget as it proves itself in clinical trials and new applications for it are discovered. It has already been studied as a treatment […]
New Microfluidic Chip Detects Circulating Tumor Cells in Real Time
At the Rovira i Virgili University in Catalan, Spain, researchers have developed and patented a microfluidic device for detecting circulating tumor cells within whole blood that originate from breast cancer tumors and which are responsible for metastasis. The device, reported on in journal Scientific Reports, and already tested on blood of breast cancer patients at different […]
Researchers Develop Highly Effective Metal-Free MRI Contrast Agent
In order to better see certain features in MRI scans, patients are often injected with gadolinium-based contrast agents. They seem fairly innocuous for healthy people, but young children and those with poorly functioning kidneys can be seriously affected. Side effects such as vomiting and diarrhea can create further problems for an already sick patient. Scientists from MIT […]
Scalp Cooling to Prevent Hair Loss from Chemo Cleared in US for Solid Tumor Patients
Thanks to a new FDA clearance, cancer patients with solid tumors undergoing chemotherapy will now have the ability to have their scalp cooled by the DigniCap system to help prevent hair loss. Previously only indicated for breast cancer patients, the DigniCap Cooling System moves cool liquid through a cap worn by a patient during chemo sessions. […]
A Pill to Replace Needles: Interview with Mir Imran, Chairman and CEO of Rani Therapeutics
Operating within InCube Labs, a multi-disciplinary life sciences R&D lab based in Silicon Valley, Rani Therapeutics is developing a novel approach for the oral delivery of large-molecule drugs such as basal insulin, which is currently delivered via injections. By replacing painful injections with a painless, easy-to-take pill, the technology has the potential to drastically improve […]
CT Perfusion Technology Monitors Blood Flow to Predict Ovarian Cancer Treatment Response
Patients with advanced ovarian cancer have a very high relapse rate following primary treatment, with 60 to 85% of patients relapsing. Treatment planning is an important factor in patient care, but few reliable options exist to help physicians accurately plan treatment and select patients who are appropriate candidates for a specific therapy. Researchers from the […]
New MRI Technique Images Glucose in Body to Spot Tumors
Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center have developed a highly sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system that can image tumors in the body, without the need for conventional contrast agents or radioactivity. Normally, doctors often inject a contrast agent into the blood before an MRI scan. The contrast agent circulates in the blood stream […]
Georgia Tech Researchers May Have Developed Technology to Prevent Cancer Metastasis
Cancer cells rely on their cytoskeletons to move away from where they are born, resulting in metastasis of the cancer. This process has been a challenge to prevent, but doing so can go a long way toward successfully killing cancers before they’re allowed to spread. Researchers at Georgia Tech are now reporting in Proceedings of the National […]
Newly Designed Nanorods Act as Dual Imaging Agents for Improved Diagnostics and Surgical Use
Scientists at the PNG College of Technology have developed new nanoscale rods that may be an effective dual-mode imaging agent for detecting cancer. The nanorods can be seen using both magnetic resonance and optical imaging techniques. Combining the two offers potentially better localization results during pre-op imaging, but can also allow for easy to use […]
Electronic Barcoding of Microparticles to Help Bring Disease Biomarker Detection out of Lab
As research is progressing in understanding human diseases, it turns out that many conditions have related biomarkers that show up in the blood and other body fluids. Being able to continuously monitor for the presence of disease biomarkers outside a clinical setting may allow for early detection of cancer and other diseases. Researchers at Rutgers University […]