Israeli Start-Up is Using Nanoparticles to Fight Cancer That has Metastasized
The hope is to turn cancer into a manageable disease.
Modern medicine is coming up with new treatments for diseases all the time. For many, the hope is that cancer will not be such a scary word. That new treatments could turn cancer into a manageable disease like diabetes. This dream may be closer than you think.
Now, i24 News reported that an Israeli start-up called New Phase, located in Peta Tikva, is working to make cancer treatable by using futuristic nanoparticles and good old biology.
With an estimated 20 million new cancer cases a year, new treatments, especially for cancer that has metastasized or spread from original tumors, the hope is that patients diagnosed with cancer can still live a productive life for years to come.
Using Heat Against Cancer Cells
New Phases’s technology starts with one very simple biological fact: cancer cells are more sensitive to heat than healthy cells are, according to Calcalistech. When subjected to heat, a healthy cell will collapse at about 55 degrees Celsius, whereas a cancer cell will collapse at around 40 to 45 degrees celsius. This means, one could theoretically use heat to kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells.
Of course, the challenge then is, how does one heat cancer cells? The solution sounds like something out of science fiction. It's all about nanoparticles.
These microscopic pieces of material are made of iron, and when they are injected into the bloodstream, can be heated by a magnetic field, thus killing the cancer cells. This method also takes advantage of the fact that cancer cells are fed by abnormal blood vessels. Thus the nanoparticles collect in cancerous cells while passing straight through healthy ones.
In terms of the practical treatment, essentially patients are given a shot containing the nanoparticles. Four hours later, they are placed in a machine that is similar to an MRI machine, but instead of using a magnetic field to create images, it uses a magnetic field to heat the nanoparticles in the patient’s bloodstream.
Extending Patients’ Lives
The goal of New Phase, reported i24 News, is not to cure cancer, but rather to slow down metastatic cancer and turn it into something that can be lived with. “The idea behind New Phase is to extend patients’ lives without side effects,” New Phase CEO and co-founder, Ofer Shalev, told i24 News.
Currently, the company is currently in clinical trials, at Rambam Medical Center and Beilinson Hospital. There are 27 patients with stage 4 metastatic cancer who are participating in the trials, and so far they have suffered no ill effects from the treatment. Even more importantly, after treatment, the cancer remained stable for a month and no new tumors were detected.
Though currently in its early phases, New Phase shows a lot of promise. There is no cure for cancer, and it is such a complex disease, that it is likely that a cure for all types of cancer is far off. But in the meantime, slowing it down could be the best option. By preventing cancer cells from spreading, using nanoparticles and biology, New Phase may just bring cancer patients hope and the gift of time.
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