MIT's new cancer treatment is more effective than traditional chemotherapy
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a game-changing dual-action cancer treatment. The innovative approach involves implanting microparticles directly into tumors, providing both phototherapy and chemotherapy. The team believes that the method could potentially reduce the side effects usually associated with intravenous chemotherapy, and improve the patient's lifespan more than separate treatments would.
A blend of phototherapy and chemotherapy
The new MIT treatment combines phototherapy, a process of implanting/injecting heated particles with an external laser, with chemotherapy. The team employed molybdenum sulfide as the phototherapy agent because it effectively converts laser light into heat. This enables the use of low-powered lasers in treatment process.
Creation of microparticles for dual-action cancer therapy
To develop a microparticle that could deliver both cancer therapies, the MIT team fused molybdenum disulfide nanosheets with either doxorubicin or violacein. The compound was then blended with a polycaprolactone polymer and dried into a film that can be shaped into microparticles of different shapes and sizes. For their study, they shaped cubic particles with a width of 200 micrometers.
MIT's microparticles: A new approach to cancer treatment
Once injected into a tumor site, these microparticles stay put throughout the treatment. An external near-infrared laser is employed to heat up the particles during every treatment cycle. The researchers employed machine-learning (ML) algorithms to find the optimal laser power, irradiation time, and concentration for the phototherapeutic agent. This helped them design a laser treatment cycle that lasted for about three minutes.
Dual-action therapy shows promising results in mice
The microparticle treatment was tested on mice injected with aggressive cancer cells from triple-negative breast tumors. The scientists implanted about 25 microparticles per tumor and then performed the laser treatment three times, with three days between each treatment. The results showed that in mice that received this treatment, the tumors were completely eradicated and they lived much longer than those given either chemotherapy or phototherapy alone or no treatment at all.
Plans to test dual-action therapy in larger animal models
The polymer used to create the particles is biocompatible, and has already been FDA-approved for use in medical devices. The researchers now plan to test the particles in larger animal models, and eventually evaluate them in clinical trials. They believe that this treatment could be beneficial for any solid tumor, including metastatic tumors, potentially revolutionizing future cancer treatments.
