Science & Technology (Commonwealth Union) – The application Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) can be explored with a detailed focus on electromagnetic fields, which have ancient roots.
Scientists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a promising new strategy for targeted breast cancer treatment using PEMFs. Their research shows that PEMFs can transform tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) — immune cells that are often manipulated by tumours to support cancer growth — into an anti-cancer state capable of attacking and eliminating tumour cells.
Associate Professor Alfredo Franco-Obregón of the NUS Institute for Health Innovation & Technology and the Department of Surgery at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine oversaw the study. On June 4, 2026, the results were published in the journal Smart Medicine.
The work follows earlier research by the team showing that short exposures to PEMFs could increase the absorption of doxorubicin (DOX), a commonly used chemotherapy drug, by breast cancer cells.
PEMF treatment involves delivering brief, intermittent magnetic pulses at relatively low intensity to specific areas of the body. Assoc Prof Franco-Obregón has previously investigated the potential applications of PEMFs in areas including muscle development and cancer treatment.
In the latest study, the team from NUS found that after four 30-minute treatments, PEMFs alone, without chemotherapy, eliminated tumours in 75 per cent of the preclinical animals studied.
The results suggest that PEMFs could be a stand-alone treatment for breast cancer, without the use of drugs according to Associate Professor Franco-Obregón. He further indicated that if the findings can eventually be translated into clinical practice, the therapy could offer an alternative to chemotherapy and help patients avoid some of its serious side effects.
Strategies targeting tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) have also been hindered by the risk of targeting healthy cells. This growing worldwide burden underscores the need for novel treatment strategies to improve outcomes and reduce cancer-related mortality.
Macrophages broadly exist in two functional states, called M1 and M2.M1 macrophages promote inflammation and act much like immune-system “soldiers”, helping the body eliminate threats such as bacteria and viruses. M2 macrophages, by contrast, have anti-inflammatory functions and act more like “medics”, supporting tissue repair and wound healing after an injury or infection has been resolved. Cancer cells can manipulate many TAMs into adopting the M2-like state. This helps create an environment that suppresses attacks from the immune system while supporting tumour development and the spread of cancer.
A crucial component of this process is TRPC1 (Transient Receptor Potential Canonical 1), a protein involved in regulating the M1 macrophage state. TRPC1 also gives cells the ability to detect and react to magnetic fields. In experiments, the NUS researchers found that exposing M2-like TAMs to pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) for just 10 minutes activated TRPC1 channels. This initiated a series of cellular signals that reprogrammed the macrophages into the M1 state, effectively transforming tumour-supporting “medics” into cancer-fighting “soldiers”.
The resulting M1-like TAMs were able to selectively attack cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue largely unharmed. The researchers also found that the magnetic stimulation interfered with the tumour’s ability to manipulate TAMs, disrupting the two-way communication between cancer cells and macrophages that normally helps sustain tumour growth.
Associate Professor Franco-Obregón pointed out that they have marked a molecular “switch”, the specific cell signalling pathway making way for them to reprogram TAMs. He indicated that as soon as it is reprogrammed, the immune cells actively seek out and devour cancer cells, elimination the tumour.
Associate Professor Franco-Obregón indicated that with the non-invasive and specifically aimed nature of PEMF therapy, they wish to give patients an effective and safe alternative treatment option, having lesser side effects that are not desired.
