Healthcare (Commonwealth Union) – A groundbreaking study has unveiled the mechanisms by which pulsed electromagnetic field therapy boosts the absorption of doxorubicin, paving the way for more precise and less harmful cancer treatments.
Scientists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have pioneered a non-invasive technique to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy while minimizing its detrimental side effects.
Using short, localized bursts of magnetic fields, the researchers significantly increased the uptake of doxorubicin (DOX), a widely prescribed chemotherapy drug, by breast cancer cells. Importantly, this method spared healthy tissues, enabling targeted treatment of cancer cells, improving therapeutic outcomes, and mitigating common chemotherapy-related complications.
Led by Associate Professor Alfredo Franco-Obregón, Principal Investigator at the Institute for Health Innovation & Technology (iHealthtech) at NUS and a faculty member of the Department of Surgery at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, the study is the first to systematically demonstrate how pulsed magnetic fields enhance DOX absorption in cancer cells. The research also revealed that this technique could suppress tumor growth with reduced drug dosages.
The findings, published in the journal Cancers on November 18, 2024, build on prior research from 2022, which first identified that certain cancer cells are particularly susceptible to magnetic field-based therapies.
Researchers of the study pointed out that DOX is a widely utilized chemotherapy agent for treating breast cancer. It kills cancer cells by binding to DNA and disrupting processes like cell division and respiration. However, its non-selective nature means it can harm healthy tissues, causing side effects ranging from mild discomfort to severe complications like cardiomyopathy and muscle wasting. This new approach offers hope for reducing such adverse effects while maintaining the drug’s cancer-fighting potency.
To tackle these challenges, researchers at NUS devised an innovative method that employs brief magnetic field pulses to selectively enhance the uptake of DOX into breast cancer cells. Their findings highlighted the role of a calcium ion channel called TRPC1, which is commonly associated with aggressive cancers, including breast cancer. Exposure to magnetic fields activates TRPC1, boosting its ability to facilitate DOX entry into cancer cells.
The team conducted experiments comparing the effects of magnetic field therapy on human breast cancer cells and healthy muscle cells. Their results showed that breast cancer cells absorbed significantly more DOX when exposed to magnetic pulses, whereas normal tissues were less affected. A 10-minute exposure to the magnetic field halved the required drug concentration needed to achieve a similar level of cancer cell destruction, especially at low drug doses.
In contrast, healthy muscle cells did not exhibit increased cell death when subjected to the combination of DOX and magnetic pulses, demonstrating better protection for non-cancerous tissues.
The researchers showed that lowering TRPC1 expression or blocking its activity took away this effect, This verified the crucial part of played by TRPC1 channels in the process. “Importantly, when we increased the amount of TRPC1, we observed an increase in DOX uptake — this means that TRPC1 can be used as a viable therapeutic target for aggressive cancers,” explained Mr Viresh Krishnan Sukumar, who is the first author of the paper and a PhD candidate at NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR) under NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.
“What’s promising is that this mechanism works strongest at low drug concentrations, enabling us to target cancer cells more effectively while reducing the burden of chemotherapy on healthy tissues,” said Assoc Prof Franco-Obregón.
The researchers’ innovative magnetic-assisted technique tackles a major issue with chemotherapy – its toxicity to healthy cells. By focusing the drug’s absorption into cancer cells, this approach could significantly lower the overall side effects for breast cancer patients. This improvement not only boosts the effectiveness of treatment and the patient’s quality of life but also encourages those wary of side effects to seek treatment earlier. Additionally, the study highlights how biomarkers like high TRPC1 levels can revolutionize cancer treatment by allowing for more precise, targeted therapies.
