New hope is being offered to cancer patients with inoperable tumours, as a revolutionary new technique has been revealed whereby minuscule magnetic particles will be heated and directed onto cancer cells to destroy them.
The nanoparticles of iron oxide require a temperature of 42C - just 6C higher than body temperature in order to effectively kills cancerous cells.
General practioner surgeries and outpatient clinics could soon be using the new treatment, which is carried out using a paddle-shaped device which is moved over the diseased area.
“There has been virtually no improvement in survival rates for lung cancer in the past three decades,” said Sam Janes, of the Centre for Respiratory Research at University College London, who is co-leading research in the field. “We’re aiming to target cancers for which chemotherapy has failed.”
This new treatment varies from other traditional therapies, as it can be used to directly focus on cancerous cells and thus avoiding unaffected areas. The nanoparticles can target cancerous cells either using a external magnets or by binding them with “cancer-seeking” particles like antibodies.
The particles are heated by using a quickly changing magnetic field produced by a Mach (magnetic alternating current hyperthermia) machine. Unaffected cells are left alone in the process.
The use of the tecnique has already been given the go ahead from the NHS due to ease at which the iron oxide nanoparticles can be extracted from the body.
“We know that heat kills cancer cells, but you can’t use it systematically without killing the patient,” said Professor Kerry Chester, one of the scientists at the University College London Cancer Institute who is working on the technique.
“The important thing with this approach is that you can see where the nanoparticles go and use them for targeted therapy.”
The research team are aiming to develop the technique to incorporate three approaches to targeting the tumours. These include attaching them to bone marrow stem cells which are strongly linked to lung cancer, using fragments of antibodies to vehicle the particles to the cancerous cells as well as external magnets attached to the body.
The next three years will be spent testing the technique on animal subjects which is being funded by a £1.6 million Grand Challenge grant from Research Councils UK, before they hopefully embark on clinical trials.
