Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and UM College of Engineering Collaborate on Pancreatic Cancer Discovery
Article Summary
- A team of scientists and engineers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of Miami College of Engineering has developed a minimally invasive approach to treating pancreatic cancer using magnetoelectric nanoparticles.
- Their work demonstrates how these nanoparticles can target pancreatic tumors and destroy cancer cells while providing real-time imaging.
- MRI scans confirmed that this treatment reduced tumor size and produced clear imaging signals.
A team of scientists and engineers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and the University of Miami College of Engineering, has developed a first-of-its-kind, minimally invasive approach to treating pancreatic cancer using magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs).
This technology, developed in collaboration with the Moffitt Cancer Center and Cellular Nanomed, was originally created in the lab of UM professor Sakhrat Khizroev, Ph.D., in collaboration with Ping Liang, Ph.D., of Cellular Nanomed.
The study, published in Advanced Science, demonstrates how MENPs can be guided by magnetic fields to target pancreatic tumors and activated remotely to destroy cancer cells while providing real-time imaging.
“This study brings us one step closer to connecting to the human body wirelessly to help it heal in real time,” said Dr. Khizroev, senior author of the study. “We hope it opens a new era in medicine where technology can precisely target diseases that were once considered untreatable.”
Delivering Treatment Directly to Pancreatic Tumors
The research shows how MENPs can be delivered directly to pancreatic tumors, where they are remotely activated by a magnetic field inside an MRI scanner. Once activated, the nanoparticles generate local electric fields that distinguish between healthy and cancerous cells based on their molecular properties, causing only the malignant cells to undergo apoptosis, or programmed cell death.
“Magnetoelectric nanotherapy brings a new dimension to theranostic oncology by coupling imaging and controlled physical mechanisms of tumor treatment in real time,” said John Michael Bryant, M.D., first author of the study, Sylvester researcher and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Miller School. Dr. Bryant is a doctoral student in Dr. Khizroev’s lab. “Positioned at the intersection of engineering, physics and medicine, it offers a path toward safer, more adaptive and personalized cancer care.”
MRI scans confirmed that this treatment reduced tumor size and produced clear imaging signals, supporting MENPs as a powerful theranostic tool. The particles function without pharmaceutical drugs or biological reagents. The approach minimizes side effects and could eventually be applied to other difficult-to-treat diseases.
Tackling One of the Toughest Cancers
Despite major advances in oncology, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate of less than 10%. It is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States by 2030. Traditional methods, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, often harm healthy tissue. Newer approaches such as immunotherapy have shown limited success.
One of the greatest challenges in treating PDAC lies in controlling the electric fields that influence cancer cell growth. Human tissue conducts electricity, so it has been nearly impossible to manipulate these fields precisely inside the body.
While the current research was conducted in preclinical models, the team believes the findings pave the way for future clinical trials and a new generation of wireless nanomedicine.
The idea of using MENPs to wirelessly control local electric fields was first proposed by Dr. Khizroev and Dr. Liang in 2011. Over the past decade, the concept evolved through global research partnerships and technological breakthroughs, culminating in this study.
The University of Miami and Moffitt Cancer Center collaborated to translate this idea into preclinical success. Several University of Miami doctoral students also contributed to the work, including Max Shotbolt, Victoria Andre, Elric Zhang, Shawnus Chen, Mostafa Abdel-Mottaleb and Skye Conlan.
Tags: College of Engineering, Department of Radiation Oncology, Dr. John Michael Bryant, pancreatic cancer, Radiation oncology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, theranostics