Cancer Treatment and ResearchJOHN KLOOS

Medical Definition Known as malignant neoplasia

Cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, which may invade nearby parts of the body.

◦ Malignant tumors invade, while benign tumors do not invade neighboring tissues and do not spread throughout the body.

U.S. Cancer Statistics The number of new cases of all cancer sites was 463.0 per 100,000 men and women per year.

◦ Nearly 50% ◦ With 176 deaths per 100,000 men and women per year.

Approximately 40.8% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime.

◦ In 2010, there were an estimated 13,027,914 people living with some sort of cancer in the United States.

Currently, 65.8% of people survive 5 years or more after being diagnosed with cancer

Causes of Cancer Genetics and Cancer

◦ Some types of cancer run in certain families, but most are not clearly linked to the genes we inherit from our parents.

Tobacco◦ Cigarette smoking, cigar smoking, secondhand smoke, chewing tobacco

Diet and Physical Activity◦ Alcohol use, weight, healthy food choices

Sun and UV exposure

Radiation Exposure

Other Carcinogens

Causes of Cancer Mouthwash

◦ A handful of studies since the late ‘70s have tied mouthwash that contains ethanol to oral cancer. Investigators theorize that it may make oral tissues more vulnerable to known carcinogens.

◦ The evidence against mouthwash is weak, according to the American Dental Association. Studies don’t show, for example, that brands with higher alcohol content present a greater risk than those with lesser amounts.

Cell Phones◦ In 1993, a man suing the manufacturer of his wife’s mobile phone claimed on Larry King Live that the

device was responsible for her brain cancer. The broadcast provoked public outcry and millions of dollars have been poured into studying whether radio waves emitted by cell phones could be harmful.

◦ The largest study to date, published in 2010, could neither confirm nor dismiss a connection between cell phones and cancer.

Others: Deodorant, Bras, Hair Dye, Chips, Sausages and Burgers

Current Cancer Treatment Surgery

◦ Use to diagnose, treat, or even prevent cancer in some cases. ◦ Often offers the greatest chance for a cure, especially if the cancer has not spread to other parts of the

body.

Radiation Therapy◦ Uses high-energy particles or waves to destroy or damage cancer cells.◦ Kills cancer cells by preventing growth.◦ May affect normal cells near the tumor, but normal cells can repair themselves and cancer cells cannot.

Immunotherapy

Hyperthermia

Targeted Therapy

Current Cancer Treatment: Chemotherapy

◦ More than 100 chemo drugs used today.◦ Very Strong, kills any cell that is growing fast, even if it’s not a cancer cell.

Alkylating Agents◦ Directly damage DNA to prevent the cancer cell from reproducing.

◦ Include Nitrogen mustards, nitrosoureas, alkly sulfonates, triazines, ethyenimines

Antimetabolites◦ Interfere with DNA and RNA growth by substituting for the normal building blocks of RNA and DNA.

These drugs damage cells during the S phase.◦ Include 5-fluorouracil, cladribine, methotrexate

Others include Topoisomerase inhibitors, mitotic inhibitors, anthracylcines

Cancer Treatment Research National Cancer Institute had a budget of roughly $4.8 billion for the Fiscal Year of 2013.

Current topics of cancer treatment◦ Anti-cancer vaccine

◦ Based on exposing some cancer cells extracted from a tumor to UV rays for 24 hrs then injecting them back into the organism◦ This approach has already been successful on rats.

Cancer Research Institute is dedicated to the use of Immunotherapy

Cancer Treatment Research If approached from a Engineering perspective◦ Potential to open up many new doors into the way the treatment of Cancer is viewed.

The Role of Chemical Engineers in the Treatment of Cancers

Success of current cancer treatment is dependent on many factors◦ Multi-drug resistance by the cancerous cells◦ The inability to deliver chemotherapy treatments directly to tumors in high enough concentrations

It’s a problem which is attracting the attention of chemical engineers

Engineers are creating new strategies that often times result in less toxic and more successful treatment of cancerous cells

An Engineers Approach Fluid Dynamics

◦ Dynamics of drug delivery and an approach to ensuring a treatment reaches the targeted cluster of cells

Heat Transfer◦ Using temperature as a way of targeting cancer cells or differentiating them from other cells.◦ Localized heating of tissues

Material knowledge◦ Polymer science and Nanomaterials

Mixed Chemistry and Mathematical approach◦ Problem solving strategy that may differ from a chemist or biologist strategy◦ Ability to produce predictive modeling

Engineering a Cure Yusheng Feng from the University of Texas- San Antonio

◦ A mechanical engineer who started in mathematical modeling of nano-thin films in semiconductors

His projects all involve computer simulation and mathematical modeling ◦ Drug delivery using nanoparticles ◦ Bioheat transfer

◦ Producing temperature variations within tumors and surrounding tissues that can affect the way a treatment works

Intent on discovering a way to minimize the side effects that come with other cancer treatments.

Design treatment specific to a patient and formulate a more accurate prognosis◦ Generated by predictive models

Computer modeling of Tissue

Cancer Metastasis The movement or spreading of cancer cells from one organ or tissue to another.

◦ Cancer cells usually spread through the blood or the lymph system

◦ Metastatic Cancer◦ Cancer that has spread from the place where it first started to

another place in the body.

◦ Most metastatic cancers cannot be cured.◦ Most deaths from cancer occur because of metastatic disease

Uncovering How Breast Cancer Metastasis Works

Shelly Payton◦ Chemical Engineer at UMass Amherst

Studies how cancer moves within the body using replicas of brain, lung, bone, liver and other tissues made from synthetic polymers.

Discovered that the most aggressive cancer cells are attracted to bone tissues ◦ Could assist in designing treatments that are aimed specifically at those aggressive cancer cells

Targeted Bacteriolytic Therapy Neil St. John Forbes

◦ PhD Chemical Engineer at UMass Amherst◦ Top-down engineering approach

Research:

Specifically target tumors by investigating motile, facultative anaerobic bacteria that specifically target and accumulate within the therapeutically inaccessible regions of tumors.

Bacteria will compete with the tumor for nutrients, killing cells in inaccessible tumor regions.

Tumor Vasculature Vasculature: the arrangement of blood vessels in an organ or part

◦ The blood supply to normal tissues of the body is maintained by an orderly and efficient vascular network

◦ This results in a highly organized vascular network for healthy tissues.

◦ In tumors, aggressive growth of neoplastic cell population and associated overexpression leads to a disorganized blood vessel network

◦ Typically disorganized with a lack of conventional hierarchy

Tipping the Balance Toward Normalcy

Rakesh Jain◦ PhD Chemical Engineering, Harvard Medical School

Research into the vasculature structure of a tumor◦ Restoring tumor vasculature to a more normal state optimizes conditions for anticancer therapy

Nanoparticles A microscopic particle with at least one dimension less than 100 nm.

Operate as a bridge between bulk materials and atomic or molecular structures.◦ Size-dependent properties are observed

◦ Quantum confinement◦ Surface plasmon resonance in some metal particles◦ Superparamagnetism in magnetic materials

The properties of materials change as their size approaches the nanoscale and as the percentage of atoms at the surface of a material becomes significant.

Nanoparticles to Target Cancer Tumors

Chemical engineers at MIT have designed a nanoparticle that could be used to target cancerous tumors.

The particle takes advantage of the fact that tumors generally exhibit higher acidity than normal healthy tissue.

Utilizes a polymer cover that prevents degradation in the bloodstream.◦ Drops the polymer cover when exposed to the higher acidity

Nanoparticles to Target Cancer Tumors

The particles could carry virtually any type of drug.

Typical nanoparticles target a specific protein in the tumor◦ Often difficult to find a protein found in the tumor that is not found in healthy tissue.

The nanoparticle from MIT utilizes a “layer-by-layer assembly” ◦ PEG breaks down in the tumor’s acidic environment◦ A positively charged second layer can diffuse across the tumor membrane◦ Innermost layer can be a polymer that carries a cancer drug, or a quantum dot that could be used for imaging.

Magnetic Nanoparticles Used in an anticancer strategy known as hyperthermia.

◦ The particles generate heat when exposed to high-frequency alternating magnetic fields which destroys the tissue around them.

◦ Unfortunately, the strategy causes collateral damage to healthy tissue as well.

Two independent research teams have recently suggested a different tactic that involves trapping magnetic nanoparticles inside lysosomes.

◦ When exposed to a moving magnetic field, these particles start spinning and tear up the lysosome walls, causing cell death.

Magnetic Nanoparticles The researchers used 100-nm-diameter iron oxide nanoparticles coated with fluorescent dyes and antibodies that bind to proteins found on the outer membranes of lysosomes.

◦ Utilized coated particles to destroy pancreatic tumor cells ◦ Tracking of the fluorescent signal, the researchers confirmed that metal oxide particles landed in the

lysosomes.

More Nanoparticle Cancer Therapy

Mark Davis◦ A chemical engineer at the California Institute of Technology

Davis built a new drug delivery system

He loaded hundreds of molecules of a cancer drug into microscopic spheres built from sugar.◦ They are two big to slip out of the bloodstream until they reach their target. ◦ This allows them to destroy solid tumors, like lung and breast cancer, and spare healthy tissue.

So far, this treatment has been used on more than 50 patients in the U.S.

Questions/Discussion?

References1. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/all.html

2. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/index

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7. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/research-funding

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15. http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2011/cancer-nanoparticle-hammond-0429

16. http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/web/2014/03/Spinning-Magnetic-Nanoparticles-Destroy-Cancer.html

17. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/engineer-develops-new-way-to-fight-wifes-cancer/

18. http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/n/nanoparticle.htm

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