Tumor-Destructive Mechanical Pulses for Selective Cancer Cell Ablation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing treatments for malignant diseases, such as tumor cells, often fail to selectively destroy cancerous cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue, particularly for therapy-resistant tumors and cancer-associated fibroblasts.
Innovation Solution
A device utilizing tumor-destructive mechanical impulses (TMI) with patient-specific, biologically optimized impulse shapes and sequences, determined via AFM measurements and FEM simulations, applies pressure shockwaves tailored to the viscoelastic characteristics of tumor cells and ECM, using phased array technology and controlled positioning to target tumor regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ultrasound or sound wave treatments are used to destroy tumor cells, then some tumor cells are destroyed, but healthy tissue is also damaged and therapy-resistant tumors remain untreated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different impulse characteristics (frequency, duration, amplitude) to different tissue types. Healthy cells receive impulses within their tolerance range, while tumor cells receive optimized impulses that exploit their mechanical vulnerabilities. The system locally adapts impulse parameters based on real-time feedback from force sensors and cell response monitoring, ensuring selective destruction without affecting surrounding healthy tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes impulse parameters (frequency, amplitude, duration, waveform shape) based on real-time measurement of cell mechanical properties using atomic force microscopy and force sensors. By adjusting these parameters according to measured viscoelastic characteristics, the system optimizes tumor cell destruction while maintaining healthy tissue integrity, and can adapt to therapy-resistant tumor variants.
2Reliability
If high-intensity mechanical impulses are applied to destroy therapy-resistant tumors and cancer-associated fibroblasts, then tumor destruction is improved, but selective targeting becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates real-time feedback loops where force sensors measure the mechanical response of cells during impulse application. This feedback is fed back to the control system, which adjusts impulse parameters dynamically. The system monitors cell stiffness changes, membrane integrity, and mechanical susceptibility, allowing it to maintain high-intensity impulses on therapy-resistant tumors while automatically reducing intensity when healthy tissue is detected, thus preserving selectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic impulse delivery where parameters are continuously adjusted during treatment based on real-time cell response. The system transitions from static, pre-programmed impulses to adaptive, real-time controlled impulses that respond to cell mechanical properties. This dynamic approach allows the system to overcome therapy resistance by adapting to varying tumor cell mechanical characteristics while maintaining selectivity through continuous monitoring.
3Measurement precision
If patient-specific impulse shapes are determined through AFM measurements and FEM simulations, then treatment precision is improved, but device complexity and measurement requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs AFM measurements and FEM simulations in advance of actual treatment to characterize tumor cell mechanical properties and determine optimal impulse parameters. This preliminary characterization creates a patient-specific treatment plan that guides the actual impulse application. By doing the complex measurement and simulation work beforehand, the system reduces real-time computational requirements during treatment while maintaining high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses FEM simulation models as an intermediary between AFM measurements and actual impulse application. The simulation model translates raw AFM measurement data into optimized impulse parameters, acting as a bridge that simplifies the complexity. This intermediary step allows the system to handle complex mechanical characterization offline while providing simplified, pre-optimized parameters for real-time treatment delivery.
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 TMI device selectively destroys tumor cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts, inducing necrosis or apoptosis while sparing healthy cells, and activates the immune system to enhance tumor-specific responses.
Implementation Method 1
an oscillation element which can be actuated for producing an ultrasound oscillation is arranged
Implementation Method 2
The ultrasound oscillation head is coupled to the ultrasound frequency generator, so that a low-frequency ultrasound oscillation can be introduced into the treatment space
Implementation Method 3
A device for treating malignant diseases with the help of tumor-destructive mechanical impulses (TMI)
Data Source
AI summary
A device and a method, which is individual to a patient, treat malignant diseases by using selectively acting tumor-destructive mechanical pulses (TMI). The tumor-destructive pulse shapes and frequency are determined using physical cell properties, which are individual to each patient. The device is controlled in such that lethal pulse fields are applied in the tumor area.