Infographic

Infographic: A Brain Implant Stops Tumor Growth in Rats

The new, implantable device converts ultrasound waves into electrical energy inside the brain, interfering with tumor cell division.

Headshot of Holly Barker
Holly Barker, PhD
| 1 min read

A wireless device implanted inside a rat brain shrinks cancer cells remaining after surgery. When triggered by ultrasound, the implant produces an electrical tumor-treating field (TTF) that interferes with proteins involved in cell division and triggers apoptosis in tumor cells. Healthy cells such as astrocytes, meanwhile, aren’t disrupted by the electrical frequency emitted by the device, while neurons are unaffected because they don’t divide. The researchers say that two implants would be used in humans, sandwiching the tumor.

A wireless device implanted inside a rat brain shrinks cancer cells remaining after surgery. When triggered by ultrasound, the implant produces an electrical tumor-treating field (TTF) that interferes with proteins involved in cell division and triggers apoptosis in tumor cells. Healthy cells such as astrocytes, meanwhile, aren’t disrupted by the electrical frequency emitted by the device, while neurons are unaffected because they don’t divide. The researchers say that two implants would be used in humans, sandwiching the tumor.
© IKUMI KAYAMA, STUDIO KAYAMA

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