Developed by joint efforts of Virginia Techbiomedical engineer Rafael V. Davalos and University of California bioengineering professor Boris Rubinsky, the scientists now plan to begin clinical trials of this method on prostate cancer patients.
The researchers used the principle of increasing the permeability of a cell from none to a reversible opening to an irreversible opening by the use of electroporation. Researchers said that the IRE is successful in removing tumors by irreversibly opening tumor cells through a series of short intense electric pulses from small electrodes placed in or around the body.
"This application creates permanent openings in the pores in the cells of the undesirable tissue. The openings eventually lead to the death of the cells without the use of potentially harmful chemotherapeutic drugs," the researchers added.
The new mechanism of killing the cancer cells is considered more advantageous in comparison with the currently available methods for destroying tumors using heat or freezing. Heat and freezing tend to damage healthy tissue or leave malignant cells.
