Sonoporation

Sonoporation—i.e. using ultrasound to induce porosity—has been used in cell therapies for some years—but now researchers in Norway have used this technology in conjunction with Gencitabine to cause greater drug uptake in an organ—in this case, the pancreas with advanced adenocarcinoma.   The approach involved an older model ultrasound machine and probe, when the drug was at maximum level, for 31.5 minutes (at 3.5 minute intervals). The sound waves generated microbubbles that permeated the tissue, allowing more Gencitabine to reach its target. The result: “This ultimately had the effect of stabilizing or decreasing the tumor volumes in 50 percent of the patients and increasing the median patient survival time from approximately 7 months to 18 months.”   MORE

Image Credit: PNAS.org