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usEPs in Pre-clinical Cancer Treatment

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Ultrashort Electric Pulse Effects in Biology and Medicine

Part of the book series: Series in BioEngineering ((SERBIOENG))

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Abstract

One of the earliest possible medical applications for usEPs was to ablate tumors. Many laboratories carried out many studies to investigate the potential for usEPs to serve as a cancer therapy. Like simulations with cells in suspension, usEPs also passed through cells in tumor tissues forming high-density nanopores in all cell membranes as supraelectroporation, distinct from conventional electroporation. The first studies were smaller in scope, but showed proof of principle that usEPs could reduce fibrosarcoma tumor volume in mice. More extensive studies followed, showing that usEPs could treat B16f10 melanoma tumors in mice, although some tumors required more than one and as many as  six 300 ns, 40 kV/cm treatment (6 × 1.2 Vs/cm). Later studies showed that as many as 5–6 Vs/cm was required to eliminate tumors completely. The blood supply to these melanoma tumors was also  reduced,  as was revascularization, as shown using endothelial markers. Other studies showed that usEPs ablated mouse liver tumors. While all of these studies  investigated ectopic tumors within mice's flanks, studies also showed that usEPs could also completely ablate orthotopic rat liver tumors, using a 5-needle array with heterogeneous electric fields. Other studies demonstrated that usEPs could eliminate many different tumor types in mice, including some human tumors in immunodeficient mice. One study showed decreased tumor sizes in dog osteosarcoma.

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  1. Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Stephen J. Beebe

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Correspondence to Stephen J. Beebe .

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Beebe, S.J. (2021). usEPs in Pre-clinical Cancer Treatment. In: Ultrashort Electric Pulse Effects in Biology and Medicine. Series in BioEngineering. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5113-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5113-5_18

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