BIOMEDSPACE.ORG
By Emaan Amir
The Glioblastoma Challenge
Glioblastoma is one of the most treatment resistant brain cancers with a median survival rate of merely 12-15 months. It’s extremely aggressive and fast growing; it spreads into surrounding healthy brain tissue creating microscopic webs which slowly infiltrate the entire organ. To make matters worse, glioblastoma cells are resilient in their destruction and things like chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy can't make it budge. Additionally, surgery has high risks of some cancer cells being left behind. To conclude, modern treatments fall short when it comes to treating this brain cancer; the world needs a fix now.
The Fix
‘HITMAN’ stands for Highly-Localized Electric-Field-Induced Tumor Therapy using Magnetically Actuated Nanoantennas. Nanoantennas, developed by researchers at the MIT media lab led by associate professor Deblina Sarkar, are the most recent breakthroughs in a feasible treatment for glioblastoma.
How it Works
Using microscopic nanoantennas measuring just 150 nanometers wide, the HITMAN system is activated wirelessly from outside the body using low-frequency magnetic fields that penetrate the skull without generating harmful heat. It works as a targeted defense system inside the brain. The nanoantennas are placed near the tumor and activated from outside the head using safe magnetic signals developed by the fields. When switched on, these nanoantennas produce tiny electric fields that disrupt the cancer cells' internal balance, causing them to break down, and die. This treatment singles out a clear cut fault in these invasive cells and uses it to our human advantage. Due to their rapid division, cancer cells have abnormal cell membranes which are vulnerable to these electric signals. Taking advantage of this the therapy destroys the tumor while leaving nearby healthy brain cells completely unharmed.
The Future is Bright
Through testing HITMAN has proved to be promising and potentially more effective than modern day chemotherapy. In patient-derived cell studies, HITMAN killed 52.2% of drug-resistant cancer cells, compared to a tiny fraction killed by temozolomide–an oral chemotherapy drug. To add, it extended median survival by over 50% and further testing showed zero detected toxicity to other organs like the liver and heart.
While current delivery involves direct local injection, the lab's previous work on "circulatronics" could mean future versions are delivered via a simple IV injection in the arm. By disguising the nanoantennas inside living cells, they can cross the blood-brain barrier on their own.
Citations
- Science Advances: Saha et al., "Magnetically actuated nanoantennas for wireless glioblastoma therapy".
- MIT News: "Injectable nanodevices could provide effective treatment for drug-resistant glioblastoma".
- MIT News / Nature Biotech: "New therapeutic brain implants could defy the need for surgery".
- National Cancer Institute (NCI): Glioblastoma Overview & Temozolomide (TMZ) Profile (GBM 12–15 month survival stats & TMZ mechanism).