Scientists just created magnetic 'seeds' to heat up and kill cancer | Interesting Engineering

MRI scanners are widely used in hospitals around the world and are essential in the detection of diseases like cancer. However, they may soon be elevated from diagnostic equipment to a therapeutic platform, thanks to a group of researchers at University College London (UCL), who have used an MRI scanner to guide a tiny magnetic "seed" through the brain to heat and destroy cancer cells.

The novel breakthrough cancer therapy, which has been tested on mice, is called “minimally invasive image-guided ablation”, or MINIMA, according to the study published in Advanced Science.

It consists of ferromagnetic thermoseeds, which are basically 2mm metal spheres, that are guided to a tumor using magnetic propulsion generated by an MRI scanner and then remotely heated to kill nearby cancer cells.

The next best thing to a team of surgeons in a tiny submarine.

#science #medicine #health #cancer #MRI #thermoseeds #MINIMA

https://interestingengineering.com/scientists-just-created-magnetic-seeds-to-heat-up-and-kill-cancer