An implant-microchip that tracks cancer cells
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The microchip tracks the level of oxygen, which is an indicator of the condition of the tumor.
A traditional measure in the treatment of cancer is surgical intervention. However, it is not possible to get rid of all tumors by surgery. If neoplasms are located in close proximity to the brain or liver, there is a risk of damaging surrounding tissues and nerve cells. And in the case of slowly growing tumors (say, with prostate cancer), which appear mainly in the elderly, there is a serious threat to life.
The development of inoperable tumors must be constantly monitored in order to counteract them in time. Now, computer or magnetic resonance imaging and other similar technologies are used for this purpose.
A group of German scientists from the Munich Technical University (TUM), under the direction of Professor Bernhard Wolff, suggests observing from the inside, not from the outside. Specialists designed the sensor and placed it together with auxiliary electronics, a radio transmitter and batteries in a sheath of biocompatible plastic. The resulting device length of about 2 cm is implanted into the body next to the tumor and measures the concentration of dissolved oxygen in its tissue.
The main difficulty was to create a device that is able to perform its work completely autonomously and for a long time. It was also important that he could act in the presence of protein and cellular "garbage" and not be perceived by the body as an alien object, says one of the project participants Sven Becker.
The developers successfully coped with their task: laboratory experiments confirmed this. Now we are looking for suitable patients for clinical trials. In the future, engineers intend to add other sensors that record the temperature and acidity of cancer cells, as well as a mechanism for introducing small doses of chemotherapy drugs as needed.
The project, which is called IntelliTuM (Intelligent Implant for Tumor Monitoring), the German authorities allocated € 500 thousand.
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