Implantable device could fight tumors

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Aug. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've tested a device that can be implanted in cancer tumors to generate oxygen, boosting the killing power of radiation or chemotherapy.

Scientists at Purdue University say the technology is intended to treat hypoxic solid tumors, those with low oxygen levels at their cores.

"This [low level] is not good because radiation therapy needs oxygen to be effective," Babak Ziaie, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering, said. "So the hypoxic areas are hard to kill. Pancreatic and cervical cancers are notoriously hypoxic. If you generate oxygen you can increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy and also chemotherapy."

The new "implantable micro oxygen generator" is an electronic device that receives ultrasound signals and uses the energy to generate a small voltage to separate oxygen and hydrogen from water, a university release said Tuesday.

The device can be inserted into a tumor using a biopsy needle

"We are putting these devices inside tumors and then exposing the tumors to ultrasound," Ziaie said. "The ultrasound energy powers the device, generating oxygen.