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Science ction or fact?
New treatments for diseases
like cancer
a way to assess and track diseases like diabetes.
As the eld continues to evolve, newer applications in bioelectronic medicine continue to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Take, for example, Tumor Treating Fields, a therapy that utilizes the natural electrical properties of dividing cancer cells to treat cancer without many of the life-altering side e ects associated with other traditional treatments.
Patients wear a device that creates electric elds tuned to speci c frequencies to disrupt cell division, inhibiting tumor growth and causing a ected cancer cells to die. e therapy, which you can learn more about on Novocure.com, received its rst approval by the FDA for a speci c type of aggressive brain cancer in 2011.
Clinical research on Tumor Treating Fields has continued, and the treatment shows promise in multiple solid tumor types - including some of the most aggres-
A di erent approach to cancer treatment
(BPT) - If bioelectronic medicine sounds futuristic, it’s because many of its applications operate like something out
of a science ction movie. But at its core, bioelectronic medicine is simply the use of technology to treat disease and injury.
Some applications include tools that you’re probably already familiar with, like cochlear implants and cardiac pacemakers. When these technologies were rst intro- duced, they were considered revolutionary. While still important advancements, they are now commonplace instruments in a doctor’s toolbox.
Bioelectronic medicine can involve implanting a device that impacts neural signals which could impact a variety of in ammatory diseases from rheumatoid arthritis to Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and more. ere is ongoing research into whether such stimulation could potentially impact paralysis as well. It can also be used as
sive forms of cancer. e therapy has been shown to have minimal side e ects, with mild to moderate skin irritation being the most common side e ect.
Bioelectronic treatments not only have the benefit of typically causing fewer side effects, but there is also room to improve the treatment through engi- neering.
“One of the bene ts of having a device over a drug is we can continue to develop and improve the technology over time,” explained Eilon Kirson, Chief Science O cer and Head of Research and Devel- opment at Novocure. “We’re not locked into a chemical formula. e platform can continue to evolve.”
e eld of bioelectronic medicine itself continues to progress, having only come into being in the late 20th century. With so much advancement made in such a short time, the promise of what may come in the future feels pulled straight from the big screen.
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