The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed the device to use ultrasound waves to destroy tumors in the liver.
HistoSonics tumor destruction device. Image: Erica Bass
The device, which does not require needles, knives or drugs, is called histotripsy and was developed by the company HistoSonics, founded in 2009 by engineers and doctors at the University of Michigan. Popular Science reported on October 15. The decision to grant a license was made after the results of a series of clinical trials showed that the device can effectively destroy liver tumors while still being safe for patients. Currently, hospitals in the US can purchase equipment and provide treatment options for patients.
The machine works by directing high-energy ultrasound pulses directly at the tumor, creating clusters of microbubbles inside. When bubbles form and burst, they put pressure on surrounding cells and tissues, creating conditions that break down structures within the tumor, leaving behind scattered pieces that the immune system can deal with later. there.
Once the patient is anesthetized, a treatment head that resembles a pair of virtual reality glasses is placed above their abdomen. The doctor probes through the control screen to examine and locate the tumor. Next, they projected sound waves. The process is very quick and painless, and recovery time after treatment is very short.
Thanks to the dual imager, doctors can also observe sound waves directed at the tumor while avoiding other parts of the body. The robotic arm will remove obstacles to better target the tumor area. During this process, the patient's immune system also learned to recognize tumor cells as a threat, thereby preventing reinfection or metastasis in 80% of the test mice.
The test results are very encouraging. Tissue milling technique is applied in many preclinical experiments for tumors outside the brain such as kidney cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and musculoskeletal cancer. In addition to tumors, a similar technique called lithotripsy also painfully breaks up kidney stones until they become small enough to pass out of the body naturally.
An Khang (Follow popsci)
