Researchers have created and tested a miniature device, seen here, that can be implanted in tumors to generate oxygen, boosting the killing power of radiation and chemotherapy. The technology is designed to treat solid tumors that are hypoxic at the center, meaning the core contains low oxygen levels. The device (right) fits inside a tube (left) that can then be inserted into a tumor with a biopsy needle. Photo: Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University

Researchers have created and tested miniature devices that
are implanted in tumors to generate oxygen, boosting the killing power of
radiation and chemotherapy.

The technology is designed to treat solid tumors that are
hypoxic at the center, meaning the core contains low oxygen levels.

“This is not good because radiation therapy needs
oxygen to be effective,” says Babak Ziaie, a Purdue University
professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering.
“So the hypoxic areas are hard to kill. Pancreatic and cervical cancers
are notoriously hypoxic. If you generate oxygen you can increase the
effectiveness of radiation therapy and also chemotherapy.”

The new “implantable micro oxygen generator” is
an electronic device that receives ultrasound signals and uses the energy to
generate a small voltage to separate oxygen and hydrogen from water—a chemical
operation called water electrolysis.

“We are putting these devices inside tumors and then
exposing the tumors to ultrasound,” Ziaie says. “The ultrasound
energy powers the device, generating oxygen.

The devices were created at the Birck
Nanotechnology Center
in the university’s Discovery
Park. Purdue researchers
are working with Song-Chu (Arthur) Ko, an assistant professor of clinical
radiation oncology at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Researchers have tested the devices in pancreatic tumors
implanted in mice, showing they generated oxygen and shrunk tumors faster than
tumors without the devices. The devices are slightly less than one centimeter
long and are inserted into tumors with a hypodermic biopsy needle.

This diagram shows the design of a miniature device that can be implanted in tumors to generate oxygen, boosting the killing power of radiation and chemotherapy. Image: Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University

“Most of us have been touched by cancer in one way or
another,” Ziaie says. “My father is a cancer survivor, and he went
through many rounds of very painful chemotherapy. This is a new technology that
has the potential to improve the effectiveness of such therapy.”

Findings are detailed in a research paper appearing online
in Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.
The paper was written by research assistant professor Teimour Maleki, doctoral
students Ning Cao and Seung Hyun Song, Ko, and Ziaie.

“The implantable mini oxygen generator project is one
of 11 projects the Alfred Mann Institute for Biomedical Development at Purdue University
(AMIPurdue) has sponsored,” Ziaie says. “AMIPurdue has been
instrumental in providing the development funding of roughly $500,000 on this
project. And beyond funding, the AMIPurdue team has also helped us with market
research, physician feedback, industry input, as well as intellectual property
and regulatory strategy. We have been able to accomplish a great deal in a
short time due to the collaborative effort with AMIPurdue.”

A patent application has been filed for the design.

Future work may focus on redesigning the device to make it
more practical for manufacturing and clinical trials.

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