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This month, we’re highlighting an exciting, new, minimally invasive method for delivering cancer-fighting molecules to tumors. The results so far are promising. Researchers used animal models to demonstrate the proof of concept, but they hope to begin human trials later this year.
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— Dave Yeager, editor |
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Bioengineers Use ‘Drug Factories’ to Eliminate Ovarian, Colorectal Cancer in Mice
Rice University bioengineers have shown they can eradicate advanced-stage ovarian and colorectal cancer in mice in as little as six days with a treatment that could be ready for human clinical trials later this year. The researchers used implantable “drug factories” the size of a pinhead to deliver continuous, high doses of interleukin-2, a natural compound that activates white blood cells to fight cancer. The drug-producing beads can be implanted with minimally invasive surgery. Each contains cells engineered to produce interleukin-2 that are encased in a protective shell.
The treatment and animal test results are described online in a Science Advances study coauthored by Omid Veiseh, PhD; Amanda Nash; and colleagues from Rice, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the University of Virginia, and others. Veiseh, an assistant professor of bioengineering whose lab produced the treatment, says human clinical trials could begin as soon as this fall because one of his team’s key design criteria was helping cancer patients as quickly as possible. The team chose only components that had previously proven safe for use in humans, and it has demonstrated the safety of the new treatment in multiple tests.
“We just administer once, but the drug factories keep making the dose every day, where it’s needed, until the cancer is eliminated,” Veiseh says. “Once we determined the correct dose—how many factories we needed—we were able to eradicate tumors in 100% of animals with ovarian cancer and in seven of eight animals with colorectal cancer.”
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Crossing the Barrier
Getting medication through the blood-brain barrier has become a top priority in the medical profession, as early intervention can ward off the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s. A new technique incorporating focused ultrasound offers a great deal of promise in the treatment of brain cancer. Read more »
Virtually Unstoppable
Augmented and virtual reality are roadmapping a two-way street in all aspects of the profession—mentoring, diagnosis, decision support, IR—from the most remote geographical outliers all the way to the patient’s internal anatomy. Read more »
Closing Gaps in Care Coordination
A chief medical information officer offers tips for closing critical gaps in care. Read more »
IUDs Can Have Systemic Effects
A research team demonstrates that intrauterine contraceptive devices can produce hormonal effects detectable with breast MRI. Read more » |
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New Tool Aims to Identify Heart Conditions Sooner
Researchers are using high-resolution CT to map aortic changes in 3D, according to a study in Radiology and Medical Physics. The technique shows promise for detecting heart conditions earlier than previously possible.
MRI May Reduce Breast Cancer Rates From Three Gene Variants
Annual MRI screening of women aged 30 to 35 may reduce cancer deaths by more than 50% for women who carry genetic changes in three genes, according to a comparative analysis recently published in JAMA Oncology.
Scientists Are Trying to Build a Replica of Your Brain
MRI and EEG data are helping researchers develop digital twins of human brains to better study medical conditions such as epilepsy.
Researcher Measures Brain Activity Before and After Death
A recent study in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience offers insight into what the brain does in the moments just before and directly after death. |
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“Health care expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product is too high in many countries around the world. In the US, it is close to 18% of GDP. When you consider the statistic that 3 out of every 10 tests are reordered because the original results can't be found, you realize that the potential cost savings in radiology alone are very large.”
— Madhuri Sebastian, general manager and head of data management and interoperability solutions at Philips, discussing the intersection of AI and interoperability in radiology, as reported by Healthcare IT News |
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