Scientists from the National University of Singapore used pulsed electromagnetic fields to reprogram immune cells inside breast tumors, prompting them to attack cancer cells. In preclinical models, the approach led to the complete disappearance of tumors in 75% of cases after four 30-minute sessions. The results were published in the journal Smart Medicine.
Researchers targeted macrophages — immune cells that, within tumors, often stop fighting cancer and instead begin supporting tumor growth. Exposure to magnetic pulses enabled the scientists to alter their state, converting so-called M2 macrophages into M1 cells capable of attacking and engulfing tumor cells.
The protein TRPC1 plays a key role in this process. It is involved in intracellular signaling and can respond to magnetic fields. Ten minutes of exposure to a pulsed electromagnetic field activated the protein and triggered a signaling cascade that altered macrophage function.
The treatment was targeted at tumor tissue and did not require the administration of chemotherapy drugs. The authors note that this could potentially help avoid some of the side effects associated with chemotherapy. Previously, the same research group showed that pulsed electromagnetic fields can enhance the uptake of doxorubicin by breast cancer cells.
For now, the method remains experimental: its effectiveness in humans has not yet been tested. According to the researchers, the device used in the study has already completed Phase I clinical trials, which confirmed its safety, and the next step should be efficacy trials. The scientists also plan to investigate whether electromagnetic-field treatment can be combined with chemotherapy.
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