Associate Professor Ben Evans has received funding from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for equipment which will facilitate his research in magnetic hyperthermia therapeutics.
Magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia is a promising new technology for cancer therapeutics which could potentially eliminate many of the adverse side effects of radiation and traditional chemotherapy.
In this technique, microscopic magnetic particles are loaded with a chemotherapeutic agent and delivered directly to targeted tissues. Upon stimulation with magnetic fields, the particles simultaneously release the agent and heat the surrounding tissue. The heat makes nearby cells more susceptible to the pharmaceuticals, resulting in a highly-localized therapeutic effect.
Through his research, Evans seeks to better understand the physical mechanisms which underlie magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia, as well as to produce new therapeutic materials which provide larger drug-carrying capacity and more efficient heating.
This proposal, “Advanced Instrumentation for Pre-Clinical Evaluation of Magnetic Nanoparticle Heating,” was written in collaboration with Drs. Nicole Levi and Ravi Singh of the Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center, who have expertise in biocompatible nanomaterials and in vivo delivery of encapsulated pharmaceuticals.