Ultrasonic therapy against pancreatic cancer

The growth of solid tumors is accompanied by processes of proliferation and migration of cancer cells. Current therapies including ionizing radiation destroy malignant and healthy cells. A study has shown the effectiveness of ultrasound therapy in fighting cancer cells in cases of pancreatic cancer. The study opens the door to the development of new non-invasive treatments based on ultrasonic technology to paralyze the growth of solid tumors.

The research is the work of the team led by Iciar González, from the Leonardo Torres Quevedo Institute of Physical and Information Technologies (ITEFI), dependent on the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Spain.

“Our research raises for the first time the possibility of developing a new therapy based exclusively on non-ionizing ultrasonic technology, which would mean a non-invasive, low-cost treatment, easy to apply and without collateral damage for patients,” explains González.

The researchers developed the research on in vitro samples of pancreatic cancer. “We applied a dose of low-intensity ultrasound for just twenty minutes on samples of PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells and we were able to stop the collective and individual progress of the cells in a monolayer for at least two days,” says the researcher. . “The application of ultrasonic waves in certain acoustic conditions for 15 or 20 minutes inhibits the ability of cell movement for long periods of time, of more than 48 hours or even up to 3 days after treatment. In addition, we have also observed some inhibition in cell proliferation processes that we are currently analyzing in other experiments in our laboratories”, she adds.

The study is titled “Low-intensity continuous ultrasound to inhibit cancer cell migration”. And it has been published in the academic journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.

PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells during a cell migration process (Photo: ITEFI / CSIC)

The next step in this line of research and development will be in vivo tests with mice. The objective is to test the good results obtained in vitro in mice with different types of tumors.

The in vivo experiments with mice will be carried out in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University, the University of the Basque Country in the United States and the Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research in Spain, thanks to the use of a small ultrasonic device adjustable to each animal.

The ultimate goal is to demonstrate the efficacy and suitability of this therapy in clinical trials. (Source: Esther M. García Pastor / CSIC)