Healthcare Technology Featured Article

June 23, 2010

Healthcare Technology and News: Kanzius Cancer-Killing Device Achieves Significant Breakthrough


Man’s war against cancer is still ongoing. But it seems that with the late John Kanzius' cancer-killing machine, the healthcare community will gain a powerful weapon.
 
The researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have already developed devices that can be used to destroy cancer cells in the bodies of small animals such as mice and rabbits. The scientists in the Cancer Center now need a larger external radio-frequency generator to continue their research on John Kanzius' cancer-killing rado-wave device, which can be applied on bigger animals and humans.
 
“We need something large enough for bigger animals and humans, Steven Curley, M.D., lead researcher on the Kanzius project at M.D. Anderson, said.
 
With construction of a human-sized generator is going well at Industrial Sales and Manufacturing, a Millcreek Township company that builds the Kanzius devices, it seems, Curley and his team won’t need to wait for too long to fulfill his dream.
 
The Rutkowski family, which owns ISM and has been working on the larger generator since Kanzius died in February 2009, has reportedly seen success in recent months.
 
“We continue to work on the design and test the device. There are a lot more electronics on the larger device. The smaller ones weren't as complex. But unless something comes up that we don't foresee, I think we can get a device down to Dr. Curley by the end of the year,” ISM Plant Manager Charlie Rutkowski informed.
 
Curley and his team of 14 researchers will then be able to test the device on larger animals. They need about two years of testing with the larger device before human trials can begin.
 
Curley does not complain with the get-up of the device.
 
“The device we get might not be all pretty and fancy, but that's OK,” Curley said.
 
The device works by bombarding the body with radio waves that heat and destroy cancer cells containing nanoparticles made of tiny pieces of gold or other metals. Healthy cells that don't contain nanoparticles are unharmed. The patient injected with nanoparticiles and then undergo Kanzius’s radio-wave treatment. The radio wave then work on the cancer affected cells containing nanoparticles and destroy them.
 
Curley and fellow researcher Evan Glazer, M.D., have published an article in the July issue of Cancer, the journal of the American Cancer Society. It describes the use of fluorescent nanoparticles, tiny pieces of metal, to both show and treat cancer cells.
“The use of this type of nanoparticle can help us stage certain types of cancers. I can see this being used in a situation where a patient is injected with these nanoparticles and taken to a CT scanner for imaging, then later taken to Kanzius' device for treatment,” Curley said.
 
Curley has informed the media that more research articles related to the Kanzius project are on the way. Three articles have been accepted for publication, four are in review and three are being written, Curley informed.
 

Madhubanti Rudra is a contributing editor for HealthTechZone. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Erin Monda
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