Scientists Developing Implant To Slash Cancer Death Rates By 50%
NDTV
"The technology is broadly applicable for peritoneal cancers that affect the pancreas, liver, lungs, and other organs," said an associate professor of bioengineering.
A team of scientists at Rice University in the United States has received $45 million in funding to develop sense-and-respond implant technology that could reduce cancer deaths by over 50 percent. The grant, given to a group of scientists led by Rice University and hailing from seven different states, would hasten the creation and assessment of a novel cancer therapy strategy. With this strategy, the effectiveness of immunotherapy for patients with difficult-to-treat tumors like ovarian, pancreatic, and other malignancies will be markedly improved.
"Instead of tethering patients to hospital beds, IV bags, and external monitors, we'll use a minimally invasive procedure to implant a small device that continuously monitors their cancer and adjusts their immunotherapy dose in real-time," Rice bioengineer Omid Veiseh, the principal investigator (PI) on the ARPA-H cooperative agreement, said in a statement.
When used for cancer immunotherapy, closed-loop therapy-a strategy that was previously used to manage diabetes-is revolutionary. It involves constant contact between an insulin pump and glucose monitor.
