Phase-Change Magnetic Nanoparticles for Selective Cancer Hyperthermia
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cancer treatments using hyperthermia struggle to selectively target and damage cancer cells while minimizing harm to surrounding healthy tissue, as conventional methods often expose both to similar temperatures, leading to unintended damage.
Innovation Solution
Nanoparticles with a magnetic inner core and phase-change material layer are designed to preferentially bind to cancer cells, absorbing energy to maintain a constant phase-change temperature, preventing healthy tissue from exceeding this temperature and causing cancer cell damage through controlled heat absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional hyperthermia methods are used to heat cancer cells, then cancer cells can be heated to therapeutic temperatures, but surrounding healthy tissues are also heated to harmful temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing nanoparticles with distinct functional layers: an inner core for magnetic heating, a middle layer of phase-change material for thermal regulation, and an outer layer for cancer cell targeting. This layered structure enables different regions of the nanoparticle to perform different functions, heating cancer cells locally while protecting surrounding healthy tissues through the phase-change material's temperature-regulating properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions by incorporating a phase-change material in the middle layer of the nanoparticle. This material undergoes phase transition (e.g., solid to liquid) at a specific temperature, absorbing excess heat and maintaining a stable temperature boundary. This prevents thermal runaway and protects surrounding healthy tissues from excessive heat damage while allowing the inner core to generate sufficient heat for cancer cell destruction.
2Measurement precision
If nanoparticles are designed to preferentially bind to cancer cells, then targeted therapy is improved, but the complexity of nanoparticle structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the nested doll principle by creating a multi-layered nanoparticle structure where each layer is nested within another. The inner magnetic core is surrounded by the phase-change material layer, which is in turn surrounded by the outer targeting layer. This nested architecture allows complex functionality (heating, temperature regulation, and targeted binding) to be integrated within a compact nanoparticle framework, managing structural complexity through hierarchical organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite materials by combining different materials with complementary properties in a single nanoparticle: magnetic materials for heating, phase-change materials for thermal management, and biomolecules (such as antibodies or peptides) for cancer cell targeting. This composite approach enables the nanoparticle to achieve multiple functions simultaneously while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be synthesized through established materials science techniques.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If phase-change material layer is added to control temperature, then protection of healthy tissues is improved, but the energy required for heating increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the blessing in disguise principle by converting the potential harm of excessive heat into a beneficial temperature-regulating mechanism. The phase-change material, which could be seen as an energy sink that reduces heating efficiency, actually serves as a protective barrier that prevents thermal runaway. By absorbing excess heat through phase transition, it converts potentially harmful thermal energy into a controlled phase change process, protecting healthy tissues while requiring only moderate additional energy input from the magnetic field.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The nanoparticles effectively target and damage cancer cells while maintaining healthy tissue integrity by absorbing latent heat, ensuring cancer cells are heated to a damaging temperature without significantly affecting surrounding healthy cells.
Implementation Method 1
The inner core is heated, via magnetic heating, e.g., using an alternating current radiofrequency-transmitting heating device
Implementation Method 2
During the phase-change, the material accumulates a certain amount of heat, which is called the latent heat of fusion, or the enthalpy change of fusion
Implementation Method 3
The phase-change material undergoes a phase-change at a given phase-change temperature. While undergoing the phase change, the temperature of the phase-change material remains constant at the phase-change temperature
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods are described for use with a heating device (26) configured to heat at least a portion of a subject's body. A nanoparticle (22) is configured to be administered to the subject, the nanoparticle including at least one inner core (30) that includes a magnetic material having a Curie temperature; a phase-change-material layer (31) that surrounds the inner core and that comprises a phase-change material that is configured to absorb latent heat of fusion by undergoing a phase change selected from the group consisting of: solid to liquid, and gel to liquid, the phase-change occurring at a phase-change temperature that is lower than the Curie temperature; and an outer layer (32) disposed around the phase-change-material layer, the outer layer comprising a plurality of nano-subparticles (34) that are separated from one another, such as to form a segmented layer. Other applications are also described.