Transcript
Since cancer was discovered, doctors across the globe have fought cancer through the means of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapies. Brain cancer is particularly sinister, killing almost 19,000 people per year, and having a 79% 5-year mortality rate for those over 40. Physicians have been unable to truly combat brain cancer as it is more difficult to access than other areas of the body, such as the breasts or the liver. The issue with brain cancer is that the brain is often more delicate than other infected areas and removing an area of the brain could severely affect cognitive function.
The issue for years has been delivering a treatment to the area without crude or otherwise harmful methods, such as surgery or chemotherapy. However, researchers from the University of Chicago and the University of Cambridge have created a promising treatment which may soften the effects of the disease. Their experimental treatment combined a magnetic disk treatment to cancer introduced by Vemulkar et al. (2015) with stem cell carrier cells introduced in Cheng et al. (2013) If the two pieces correctly fit together, a revolutionary treatment for brain cancer could be on the horizon.
Stem cells are known for their regenerative properties, but they also have a special ability to act as carriers to deliver a drug to a specific location. Stem cell carriers can carry specific cancer fighting materials and transport across the blood brain barrier seen in the animation. Stem cell carriers and brain cancer treatment nanotechnology were utilized by Cheng (2013) and Vemulkar (2015) respectively, but Muroski et al. (2016) looked to combine the two ideas. Their goal was to understand if these two ideas could work together to fight brain cancer.
Due to the ethical concerns of giving an experimental treatment to a current cancer patient, Muroski et al. (2016) cultured brain cancer cells in a controlled environment where the effectiveness of the carriers could be determined. They cultured 500 glioma, or brain cancer cells and put them into the environment. afterward, they synthesized magnetic disks, which were to travel on the stem cell carriers. Finally, they cultured the stem cells needed. With the materials ready, they proceeded with their experiment.
The researchers questioned whether or not more discs would lead to greater success against cancer. To test this, they created experimental conditions, and each had more discs being carried by the stem cells. Further, they tested if a magnetic effect would kill more stem cells. This created a total of six conditions, overall, with one of 10, 20, and 50 discs each. Each number had a condition of magnetic effects, and one without. After putting the discs in the environment via the carrier stem cells, they measured how many cancer cells lived after 24 hours.
The researchers hypothesized that with more discs, the less amount of glioma cells would survive. Dead glioma cells would indicate the cancer weakening. The data the researchers collected shows that increasing the amount of disc conditions, and adding a magnetic signal result in less glioma cells surviving after 24 hours. If this promising result is also found in human trials, the fight against brain cancer could be changed forever.
Despite the positive results of this study, there remains numerous areas of improvement. One suggestion for improvement is to add more conditions with differing numbers of disks. Having more conditions can precisely quantify the impact of the magnetic discs for killing glioma cells. By specifying the perfect amount of discs, we can reach the most amount of cancer patients, and stop valuable discs and stem cells carriers from going to waste. Another extension is having a true zero to the data. We know what happens when more magnetic disks are added, but what happens to the brain cancer cells when there are no discs?
Having more conditions can precisely quantify the impact of the magnetic discs for killing glioma cells. By specifying the perfect amount of discs, we can reach the most amount of cancer patients, and stop valuable discs and stem cells carriers from going to waste.
By utilizing stem cell carriers, treatment of cancer has the ability to become more precise, leading to better margins per treatment cycle. The fight against cancer does not stop at magnetic disks. Stem cells can be utilized to transport other means of fighting cancer, which opens countless possibilities.
For far too long, a brain cancer diagnosis meant the loss of dreams, aspirations, and often, life. Not only will treatment lead to saving more lives, but it will also lead to a more predictable recovery, leading people to bounce back from cancer to pursue their dreams. If this research can be replicated in trials, a brain cancer diagnosis will no longer be an implied death sentence. It will be a minor bump in the road for those on the path to accomplishing their dreams
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