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Kanzius RF Therapy is a patented technology of ThermMed LLC, enterprise created by the late John Kanzius. The therapy aims to insert metallic nanoparticles in or around cancerous cells and then exciting these particles using radio waves; the energy from the radio waves creates heat which burns the cancerous cell cluster.
This technique is still in developmental and experimental stages and few studies have been published on the subject. Clinical trials are expected to begin in 2012.[1]
The process aims to induce apoptosis of cancerous cells using heat transmitted to a site marked by nanoparticles using radio waves produced by the Kanzius Machine.
The Kanzius machine built by ThermMed LLC is composed of a variable power (0 - 2 KW) RF signal generator coupled to the High Q system consisting of a transmitting and receiving head. The High Q system is mounted on a bracket that allows the field to be oriented horizontally or vertically and the distance between the heads is adjustable. The system generates a field that is 30 centimetres (12 in) in diameter with a peak intensity located within the center radius that is 7 centimetres (2.8 in).
Nanoparticles are very small particles of a given substance; smoke is usually a cloud of nanoparticles. The laboratory tests used colloidal gold and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT). While nanotubes are also nanoparticles, they are engineered as a hollow cylinder.
Two studies have been published regarding the topic, the first one published in 2007 by the University of Texas, the second in 2009 by the University of Pittsburgh.
In order to assess the effectiveness of the experimental treatment, the toxicity of SWNTs was assessed[2], this to ensure that the results obtained were not from the nanoparticles themselves but rather from the application of the radio frequencies.
While the presence of nanoparticles impaired the growth of one type of cancer cell, it was shown that they were not toxic.
In the first study[2] cells were incubated in solutions containing Kentera, Kentera and carbon single-walled nanotubes (SWNT), and a neutral medium. Bright-field and near-IR fluorescence microscopy confirmed the presence of SWNTs on the surface and in the cytoplasm of cultured cells.
The cells were exposed to a 800W 13.56 MHz field for one or two minutes. The rate of cell-death was shown to be dependent on the concentration of SWNTs. At high-concentration (500 mg/L.) and long exposure (two minutes), the rate of cell destruction was essentially 100% in all cell cultures; however control groups also suffered significant damage and cell death was measured between 11% and 35%.
Other cells were exposed for a shorter period (one minute). The control groups were not effected and the cells incubated with 100 mg/L. and 500 mg/L. of SWNT yielded a success rate ranging from 42% to 68%.
The other study[1] used the same field at a much lower power output (10W - 100W).
In a control experiment water and a solution of water and gold nanoparticles were exposed to a 50W, 13.56 MHz field for 5 minutes. The water's temperature did not increase in a significant manner (from 23°C to approximately 28°C) while the solution containing gold nanoparticles' temperature increased significantly (from 23°C to approximately 78°C, reaching 60°C near the one-minute mark). For five minutes of exposure at power outputs of 10W, 50W and 100W, temperature changes were 18°C, 47°C and 58°C respectively. Within the same study, HepG2 cells incubated in a solution containing gold nanoparticles and a control group were exposed to a 35W, 15.58 MHz field for seven minutes. The control cells suffered a small temperature increase (5°C) while the gold-incubated cells' temperature increased by 20°C, reaching approximately 52.5°C at the seven-minute mark. Reported cell death ranged approximately from 35% to 80% for three and seven minutes of exposure respectively.
A subsequent study challenged these results by reporting that the heating was primarily due to residual ions in solution rather than the gold nanoparticles themselves.[3] When the nanoparticles were centrifuged and redispersed in water, negligible heating was observed.
In two separate studies animal subjects were administered an intratumoral injection of nanoparticles before being exposed to the field. In one case[2] subjects were exposed to a 800W 13.58 MHz field for two minutes. Complete tumor necrosis was observed along with a zone of thermal injury that is anywhere from 2 millimetres (0.079 in) to 5 millimetres (0.20 in). zone of thermal injury surrounding the tumor clusters that were 1 centimetre (0.39 in) to 1.3 centimetres (0.51 in). In the second study[1] subjects were exposed to a 35W 13.6 MHz field for 7 minutes. The histological assessment revealed complete tumor necrosis and no damage to surrounding tissue; a slight temperature increase (4ºC) was observed in control subjects bearing non-inoculated tumors.
At the time of publication (2009), the Pittsburgh study stated that clinical trials should begin within three to four years.
It has been demonstrated that the physical process is sound and produces results capable of inducing thermal apoptosis and necrosis of cancerous tissue. At the current time the overall medical procedure is similar to conventional RF probe therapy and while the use of nanoparticles could allow a more even spread of heat within the overall tumorous tissue, it is doubtful that this advantage would justify the purchase of new equipment or the installation of infrastructures.
Furthermore the aim of the Kanzius RF Therapy is to be non-invasive, thus the systemic administration of nanoparticles is required. At this time, it is not possible to bind nanoparticles to specific sites from systemic administration. As further research is performed in the fields of nanotechnology, real-time diagnostic imaging and surgical robotics, the use of the Kanzius Machine in the pioneered process may prove useful.
The Kanzius RF Therapy aims to be non-invasive and is currently subject to the same limitations as conventional radiofrequency ablation, namely the intra-tumoral injection of nano-particles would still be dependent on targeting accuracy. The project wishes a systemic administration of nano-particles targeting specific cells and tissues, either by modulating the nanoparticles' physical and chemical properties and suggestion[1] has been made to research antibody-coated nanoparticles which could allow to target specific sites.