Magnetic seeds provide new cancer therapy
UCL scientists have developed a novel cancer therapy that uses an MRI scanner to guide a magnetic seed through the brain to heat and destroy tumours.
The cancer therapy, demonstrated in mice, is called ‘minimally invasive image-guided ablation’ or MINIMA. It comprises a ferromagnetic thermoseed navigated to a tumour using magnetic propulsion gradients generated by an MRI scanner, before being remotely heated to kill nearby cancer cells.
Published in Advanced Science, the team said its findings establish proof-of-concept for precise and effective treatment of hard-to-reach glioblastoma, alongside other cancers such as prostate, that could benefit from less invasive therapies.
Senior author Professor Mark Lythgoe, UCL Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, said that MINIMA has potential to avoid traditional side effects by precisely heating the tumour without harming healthy tissues.
In a study, the UCL team demonstrated three key components of MINIMA: precise seed imaging, navigation through brail tissue using a tailored MRI system tracked to within 0.3mm accuracy, and eradicating the tumour by heating it in a mouse model.
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