Researchers have found that the interstitial pressure inside a tumor is often remarkably high compared to normal tissues and may impede the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents as well as decrease the effectiveness of radiation therapy when treating cancer.
While medications exist that temporarily decrease tumor pressure, identifying the optimal window to initiate treatment remains a challenge. With support from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering within NIH, researchers at Purdue University have developed a novel sensor that can wirelessly relay pressure readings from inside a tumor.
So far, results from recent clinical trials and studies in animals suggest that a class of anti-cancer drugs called angiogenesis inhibitors may be able to temporarily reduce interstitial pressure and improve the efficacy of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
Recently, the thinking is that there is a brief window after these drugs are given then the blood flow to tumors is actually normalized. This brief window provides an opportunity to more efficiently deliver chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation therapy.
However, because efficient methods for measuring interstitial tumor pressure has been lacking, it is a challenge to determine the optimal time to begin chemotherapy or radiation treatment within this normalization window.
“Right now, the only option for measuring pressure is to stick a needle inside the tumor. That’s not practical for clinical applications,” reports Babak Ziaie, PhD, Director of the Biomedical Microdevices Laboratory at Purdue University.
With NIBIB support, Ziaie and his team have created a novel sensor that can be implanted into a tumor to wirelessly transmit interstitial fluid pressure readings. Recently, Ziaie and his team tested the device and implanted the sensor into pancreatic tumors in mice and were able to show a decrease in interstitial tumor pressure following administration of an angiogenic inhibitor.
“This is a great example of the power of convergence science,” said Tiffani Lash, PhD Program Director for Sensor Technologies at NIBIB. “Incorporating knowledge from the life and physical sciences with engineering concepts, can help solve important clinical problems. We need to continue to think creatively to generate novel ways to treat disease.”