In March, scientists managed to eradicate advanced stage ovarian and colon cancers in animals in just six days with the implants.
They made a very important development scientists from Rice, Texas and Virginia universities on USAas they managed to develop implants which will help in the treatment of serious diseases.
Specifically, last March, they announced that they succeeded in eliminating their animals (rodents). advanced ovarian and colon cancers, in just six days, thanks to the new treatment. They developed implantable “drug factories” the size of a pinhead, which allow for continuous administration of high doses of the drug interleukin-2. This treatment activates the white cells of the immune system so that they can fight the cancer more effectively.
Now, the inventors of the tiny, cancer-fighting implants, in collaboration with researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, are developing 1.5-millimeter-wide versions of the implants that could treat heart muscle injuries caused by heart attacks. The new treatment will target the inflammation that can worsen heart failure.
“We will engineer cells to produce cytokines that can reduce inflammation and help the heart heal,” said Omid Weisse, an engineer at Rice University in the US.
These implants also play an important role in the immune response. The cytokine-producing cells will be inserted by the tens of thousands into 1.5-millimeter-wide alginate beads, which can be placed directly on the surface of the heart.
Weisse said the pellets would protect the cytokine-producing cells from the immune system and allow the “drug factories” to continue working for weeks. “Our goal is to deliver effective doses of cytokines for up to six months,” he said.
Avenge Bio, a Massachusetts-based start-up that Weisse co-founded, announced this week that it plans to begin a human clinical trial later this year following approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. This is the first clinical trial of this technology.
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