Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
Or call 0345 90 80 161
11 January 2019 08:45
The 'sponge' could prevent excess chemo drugs passing through the bloodstream
A so-called "drug sponge" that mops up leftover drugs from cancer treatment could improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy, new research has claimed.
The biomedical sponge is actually a cylinder, coated in an absorbent polymer that's inserted into a vein carrying blood away from an organ.
By soaking up the drugs not taken up by the tumour, the sponge helps stop excess chemo drugs passing through the bloodstream to other others of the body.
In testing on pigs, the sponge soaked up 64% of a cancer drug injected upstream, and medics hope the device will help avoid chemotherapy's dangerous side effects while safely delivering higher doses.
Engineering concept
Professor Nitash Balsara, a member of the research team from the University of California at Berkeley, said: "An absorber is a standard chemical engineering concept. Absorbers are used in petroleum refining to remove unwanted chemicals such as sulphur.
"Literally, we've taken the concept out of petroleum refining and applied it to chemotherapy."
While scientists have focused on liver cancer, they say the technique could be used whenever a tumour is confined to any organ.
Chemotherapy is typically accompanied by major side effects including nausea, vomiting, hair loss, suppression of the immune system and anaemia.
The scientists spent more than a year perfecting a way to adhere the polymer to a 3D printed cylinder that could be placed inside a vein.
Customised
"Fitting the cylinder in the vein is important," said Prof Balsara. "If the fit is poor, then the blood with the dissolved drug will flow past the cylinder without interacting with the absorbent."
In practice, the device would probably have to be customised for individual patients, he added.
The research is reported in the journal ACS Central Science.
If you're living with cancer and looking for cover that meets your specific needs, check out our dedicated cancer travel insurance.
19 March 2019
Lower your blood pressure with these fresh, healthy foods you can add to your diet.
[more...]
02 March 2019
A Flybe flight was forced to abort take-off due to the cabin filling with "smoke" while it was accelerating along the runway at Exeter Airport.
01 March 2019
Holidaymakers will soon be able to take advantage of the first direct flight from London to Scotland's Western Isles after Loganair announced three new routes.
28 February 2019
Over one in five women in the UK wrongly think a smear test can detect ovarian cancer, new research has revealed.
27 February 2019
One in 10 UK adults over the age of 40 is living with Type 2 diabetes, new analysis suggests - but the real figure could be much higher.
26 February 2019
British Airways has revealed the second of its series of retro liveries being recreated as part of the airline's 100th birthday celebrations.
23 February 2019
The price of a prescription in England is set to rise again, the Government has announced, in a move some campaigners have called disappointing.
22 February 2019
Just half an hour of exercise every morning could be as effective as drugs at lowering daily blood pressure, research suggests.
21 February 2019
A British man accidentally used the wrong passport to fly from Prague to the UK, leaving his friend stranded in the Czech capital.
19 February 2019
Hundreds of passengers have had their travel plans cancelled following the collapse of airline flybmi.
16 February 2019
Holidaymakers were left fuming after a "lack of clarity" over Brexit led a Romanian airline to cancel flights from Liverpool's John Lennon Airport.
15 February 2019
British Airways celebrated Valentine's Day with a special flight where all members of the cabin crew were couples who work for the airline.