Even when you're diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer, the diagnosis can still be devastating. That's because the process of treating cancer can be nearly as destructive as the disease itself. Doctors do have tools for killing cancer cells, but they usually take a lot of healthy cells out too, leading to toxic side effects like hair loss and exhaustion.
Researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) are working to change that by developing a way to deliver chemotherapy drugs only to the enemy cells, and they've recently had a breakthrough, as detailed in Nature Catalysis. Here's what they're trying to do:
The UGA researchers have been partnering with a research team from Clarkson University in New York to create tiny nanoparticles that can carry chemo drugs. One type carries the drugs themselves, while another type carries enzymes that activate them. In the presence of a weak magnetic field, the particles merge, kicking the drugs into action. And because they can control this magnetic field, they can deliver the drugs very precisely.
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While pulsating magnetic fields have been previously tested for delivering cancer drugs, such fields generate a lot of heat, which can still damage healthy cells. So far, this new approach has worked well in vitro, and the weakness of the field means that it shouldn't harm the body at all. The researchers are excited to try the approach in an animal model before seeing if it will work for humans.
I'm excited about this approach. I think it makes a lot of sense. I certainly prefer cancer treatments that target the cancer cells as well as possible rather than killing cells indiscriminately. And this is a similar concept to a treatment that doctors have used very successfully for decades.
I've told you about insulin potentiation therapy (IPT) in the past. It's a treatment where the doctor supplies the body with insulin prior to chemotherapy. This approach makes cancer more susceptible to the drugs, so you need less chemo overall. If you find yourself needing cancer treatment, I recommend seeking out a doctor who utilizes IPT. You can check my archives or visit www.bestanswerforcancer.org to learn more.
While the UGA treatment isn't available yet, I'll be following their work. I hope their treatment works as well in humans as they're expecting it to. The less chemo we have to expose our bodies to, the better.
Yours for better health,
Frank Shallenberger, MD
Source:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180131230242.htm.