Rohit Bhattacharjee, Amity University Kolkata
Skin cancer, the most common kind of cancer, is mainly caused due to excessive exposure to the UV rays from the sun. They are of two types:- melanoma ( develops from pigment-producing skin cells called melanocytes) and non-melanoma (developed from other skin cells). Though non-melanoma skin cancer is more widespread, melanoma is malignant and has a high mortality rate. Common treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy but they have limitations. A promising alternative that has emerged is hyperthermia that involves applying heat to the infected tissues.
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers have developed a non-invasive bandage made with magnetic nano-fibres to treat skin cancers by administering heat to the tumour cells. They have developed a bandage with a unique blend of magnetic nanoparticles (made from an oxide of iron, Fe3O4, and a biodegradable polymer called polycaprolactone (PCL) pasted on a surgical tape) and fabricated using a method called electrospinning. To check efficiency, they did two experiments in vitro, on human cancer cell lines and in vivo, on mice with artificially induced skin cancer. In both, the heat generated killed the cancer cells successfully and the healthy tissue remained intact with no signs of burns, inflammation or thickening.
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Suggested Read: https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/iisc-develops-bandage-that-can-kill-skin-cancer/articleshow/78564537.cms
Really very useful article for many many people who are suffering with this dreadful disease.
Received important information from this article.keep it up.