Nanomagnetic technology finds and counts cancer cells while undetectable by existing technologies : View Idea

Breast Cancer Pathways

Nanomagnetic technology finds and counts cancer cells while undetectable by existing technologies

Senior Scientific has developed technologies that use biosafe nanoparticles and sensitive magnetic sensors to detect and measure cancer cells in the human body earlier, more rapidly, and less expensively than current methods. The technology is highly specific – the measurement is based on cell surface markers specific to the type of cancer, so it does not generate false positive results from benign growths or calcifications. It is also very sensitive – it can measure tumors that are 1000 times smaller than is possible with currently available techniques. The technology can also locate tumors to within 0.5 mm, allowing for precise therapy planning and monitoring. Small quantities of biosafe nanoparticles with attached targeting agents are introduced into the patient where they bind only to the targeted cancer cells. A weak magnetic field is applied to magnetize the particles, and sensitive magnetic detectors count the number of particles that have stuck to cancer cells. Due to the highly specialized nature of both the nanoparticles and our detection device, only those particles stuck to their targeted cells are detected, making the results highly specific, objective (the results depend only on the cells, not a human interpretation of an image), and sensitive (only a few thousand cells are required, instead of hundreds of millions as are needed for conventional techniques). Our technology has been proven in animal models using human cancer cells, in human trials using bone marrow biopsy samples, and is the subject of over 20 patent applications and 14 peer-reviewed publications. We are exploring several applications to breast cancer, including early detection, detection of lymph node involvement, monitoring of therapy, and early detection of recurrences and metastases.

Submitted on

Oct 13, 2011

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There's an excellent peer-reviewed article on this technology in Breast Cancer Research. Basically it says this technology can detect a breast cancer with 1/100th of the cells needed to find the same cancer using a mammogram. That means this technology can find a cancer 2-3 years earlier than a mammogram can, with 100% specificity, using no radiation. Here's a link to the article: http://breast-cancer-research.com/content/13/5/R108/abstract

Nov 2 2011 by Michael Kassin_mx96i

From Twitter User: @StocksOnHawk

What's new in early detection of #Breastcancer? Click "support" for research using #nanotech #GEidea6032 http://t.co/PJ1sTiws $mhtx

Oct 20 2011 by Healthymagination

Being a survivor several times, I realize the importance of early detection and I applaud Dr. Flynn's technology and believe it is something that will the fight against cancer forever....Toula Theoharis

Oct 19 2011 by bigtheo1

Thanks, pk47, for the comment. The concept of using magnets to concentrate delivery of our particles with chemotherapy drugs attached was part of our original NIH grants and is included in some of our pending patent applications. Previous magnetic concentration proposals assume that some other technology has found the tumor - for example, using PET, x-rays, or MRI; and then drugs are delivered. Our technology can find the tumor, then use the same antibodies and nanoparticles with the chemotherapy agent attached to deliver to the tumor using external magnetic fields to concentrate delivery. We have already used magnets on some of our preclinical studies to increase delivery of the nanoparticles to the growing tumors. So we can fit the "search and destroy" even better since we can do the searching as well as the destroying.

Oct 17 2011 by Senior Scientific

From Twitter User: @StocksOnHawk

Nanotechnology finds and counts cancer cells while undetectable by existing technologies #GEidea6032 http://t.co/PJ1sTiws $mhtx

Oct 17 2011 by Healthymagination

This idea appears to be a reverse application of the pioneering concept proposed by Freeman et al, that fine iron particles could be transported
through the vascular system and be concentrated at a particular point in the body with the aid of a magnetic field.

The use of magnetic particles for the delivery of drugs or antibodies to the organs or tissues altered by diseases has become an attractive field of research, however what you are describing here is the exact opposite, where the iron oxide nanoparticles (I assume Magnetite Fe3O4 or Maghemite Fe2O3), are coated with antibodies, which adhere to specific cancer cells, and the magnetic field is used to identify the number and location of cancerous cells, (instead of guiding the nanoparticles, as Freeman M.W. had proposed).

Can we assume that your method may be adapted to a "Search and Destroy" application, instead of simply "Search and Identify", in effect unifying Freeman's concept with your proposal?

Oct 14 2011 by pk47