Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an immunosuppressive sound technology that destroys a significant portion of cancer. And Protects the destroyed part of the tumor from recurrence. This treatment, called histotrypsy, uses a transducer to deliver microsecond-long ultrasound pulses to cancerous tissue. The twigs form small bubbles that expand rapidly and break down, destroying the cancer cells around them. This is the first treatment of its kind, which has paved the way for the treatment of cancer without heat or ionizing radiation.
“It works by mechanically liquefying target cancer tissue and demonstrates the potential to increase accuracy and reduce target loss for cancer treatment compared to radiation or heat-based methods,” said lead researcher Dr. Jane Xu, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the department. Accepted Rewards On behalf of his team. Although the technology was developed to treat liver cancer, Dr. Xu noted that he hopes it will one day spread to treat tumor metastasis or cancer that has spread to a secondary area of the body.
Dr. Xu (left) is working on a transducer with a biomedical engineering PhD student. (Photo: Marcin Szepanski, Michigan Engineering)
Dr. Xu’s team first performed histotrypsy tests on rats. According to Study, Which was published last week in the oncology journal Cancer, researchers began destroying 50 to 75 percent of the tumor volume in the liver of each rat using histotrypsy, then periodically examined the tumors using MRI. They found that the rat’s immune system was then able to clear the rest of the tumors, with no evidence of recurrence or metastasis in 81 percent of those who were treated. All treated rats enjoyed longer lifespans than untreated control groups.
Since then, histotrypsy has been tested with a small group of people. Although the data for that experimental treatment are limited, Dr. Xu’s team noted that eight treated patients experienced complete tumor regression without any adverse side effects. Two out of eight have also experienced stabilization of non-target tumors elsewhere in the body. Clinical trials with human patients are expected to continue as Dr. Xu and his colleagues explore the combination of their technology with brain therapy and immunotherapy.
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