Kanzius RF therapy, an experimental cancer treatment currently under investigation by researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, is getting closer to human trials. The therapy works by attaching nanoparticles to tumor cells and then broadcasting radio frequency (RF) waves at the body which heat up the particles, effectively “cooking” the tumor cells and killing them in the process. What makes this therapy so promising is that the laboratory studies completed thus far have shown it is 100% effective at killing cancer cells without causing any side effects at all.

The therapy was invented by inventor and retired radio and TV engineer John Kanzius, who was diagnosed with leukemia and then underwent chemotherapy in 2003 and 2004. Mr. Kanzius and his RF therapy were recently featured on the television news magazine 60 Minutes.

Nanoparticles are microscopic particles whose length is measured in nanometers, a unit of length equivalent to one billionth of a meter. Due to their tiny size, nanoparticles are among the most active areas in all of contemporary science and medical research. For the Kanzius therapy under discussion there, gold is usually used as the binding nanoparticle because it is FDA-approved for use in humans and is generally well-tolerated by the body. The gold nanoparticles are coated with cancer-seeking molecules and then injected into the patient, where they can freely move through the patient’s system until they bind with the cancer cells they are targeting. The major difficulty with the therapy has been the development of cancer-specific targeting molecules. The researchers at MD Anderson have targeted a molecule known as C225 as the focus of the binding agent. While it is present in many cancer cells, it is also found in some normal cells, so care is needed in the application of the therapy.

Even still, the therapy is moving closer to human trials. Mr. Kanzius is working on a new form of his RF generator machine. This new version will be the size of a CT-scanner and will allow testing of larger subjects—such a design will facilitate the beginning of human trials. While questions regarding the treatment’s efficacy and safety will not be answered for a few more years, many of the researchers who are aware of the project are looking to the beginnings of human trials with great anticipation. A truly effective cancer therapy without significant side effects would be a true revolution in medicine.

Labels: cancer