Multi-national technology giant Phillips is working with the University of Eindhoven to test a new cancer killing technology.
The researchers are testing a new way of targeting cancer cells more precisely, to reduce damage to healthy cells and relieve the patient of painful side effects
According to Phillips’s Maiike van Velsen the researchers have found that by injecting patients with protein cell called a liposome they are able to deliver a controlled dose to the cancer cells. The liposome contains an anti-cancer drug and a dye, so that it shows up on the imaging screen.
The cell will only release the drug when it is heated to a certain temperature. So the doctors track the dyed cell around the bloodstream until it reaches the cancerous growth. Then they apply an ultrasound lamp to heat it up. The cell bursts. So the medicine is released in the core of the cancerous growth, concentrating its effect in exactly the right spot.
Patents
Under the terms of the arrangement, the intellectual property (IP) and the patents are shared between Phillips and the university, which is located in the company’s global headquarters in the Netherlands. This public-private partnership is made possible by the Dutch patenting regime.
Hear the full interview with Maiike van Velsen here…Maike van Velsen Phillips.mp3
