Wireless wearable targets cells in fight against cancer

The device, which uses wireless technology to produce an electric field that controls the behaviour of targeted cells inside the body, could ultimately stop cancerous tumours growing.

Electroceutics are medical devices designed to treat disease by stimulating and controlling electrical signals produced by the body. However, fitting such devices, including deep brain stimulators for treating Parkinson’s disease, and retinal implants for bionic eyes, requires invasive surgery, according to Dr Frankie Rawson, of the Division of Regenerative Medicine and Cellular Therapies, School of Pharmacy, at Nottingham University.

The wireless technology, in contrast, which is being developed by a team led by Rawson in an EPSRC-funded project, can be placed on the skin to control electrical signals remotely.

Research by Rawson and his colleagues has shown that when cells undergo genetic changes that cause them to become cancerous, the way in which the cells expel electrons to their immediate surroundings also changes.

“We have evidence that cancers do this to try to increase their cell proliferation rate,” said Rawson. “So we believe that by using an electrical input to stop that external electron transfer, we can stop or slow the cells proliferating, and stop the tumour growing.”