AMSTERDAM, June 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS)
paper* details results of a
pre-clinical study into the combined use of drug-loaded
temperature sensitive liposomes and MR-HIFU for
local tumor treatment.
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a leader in health
technology, today announced the publication of a joint scientific
paper based on research by scientists at Philips Research,
Eindhoven University of Technology (The
Netherlands) and University Hospital of Cologne (Germany) on the use of MR-guided high
intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) induced heating to locally
release cancer drugs and thermally destroy tumor tissue.
As part of Philips' efforts to advance cancer care, the company
and its academic partners are exploring various targeted
imaged-guided therapies to locally treat tumors. It is anticipated
that with such therapies, the tumor tissue is destroyed while
minimizing collateral damage to surrounding tissues and organs. The
results of this preclinical study have been published today in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) - one of the
world's most prestigious scientific journals. The paper describes
how HIFU therapy, guided by MR imaging and used in conjunction with
drug-loaded temperature sensitive liposomes (drug filled
blood-borne nanoparticles) could be used to improve cancer
treatment efficacy without adding additional toxicity.
In recent years, HIFU has been introduced as a non-invasive
technique that is currently being used for the treatment of benign
lesions such as uterine fibroids. The new scientific research
detailed in the PNAS paper focuses on the combined use of MR-HIFU
induced therapeutic hyperthermia
(heating of tissues to temperatures between 40oC and
43oC) to locally deliver chemotherapeutics, and
thermal ablation (elevating tissue temperature above
55oC) to locally treat tumor tissue. Simultaneous MR
imaging provides real-time anatomical imaging of the treatment
area, while the MR signal itself can be used to measure the
instantaneous temperature at any point in the tumor, providing the
real-time feedback required for accurate temperature control and
profiling.
"The PNAS paper shows the unique potential of MR-HIFU technology
that enables hyperthermia to locally release drugs and thermal
ablation in a single procedure," said Edwin Heijman PhD, Senior
Research Scientist, Department Oncology Solutions at Philips
Research. "This has been an important scientific milestone in our
research. I am convinced that we can use this approach for clinical
translation with our partners."
The co-authors of the PNAS paper investigated the efficacy of
therapies that combine the hyperthermia induced release of
Doxorubicin from temperature sensitive liposomes and high
temperature ablation therapy to treat rhabdomyosarcoma (skeletal
muscle tumor) in a pre-clinical model. Special attention was paid
to the distribution of released Doxorubicin in the margins of the
tumor and surrounding tissue before and after applying both thermal
therapies to the tumor core. The aim was to establish a protocol
that would not only destroy the bulk of the tumor by heat but also
treat tumor cells in the tumor margin while sparing surrounding
tissue. The most effective protocol in terms of survival was found
to be injection of the Doxorubicin-loaded liposomes, and then two
15-minute sessions of hyperthermia followed by ablation of the
tumor core, which increased survival time threefold compared to
unheated administration of Doxorubicin or Doxil (Caelyx).
The research was co-funded by the
Netherlands' Center for Translational Molecular Medicine
VOLTA project, in which Philips was a consortium partner,
NanoNextNL, and the European Union FP7 SONODRUGS project. The FP7
iPaCT project on image-guided pancreatic cancer therapy also
contributed to the study. Clinical translation of the MR-HIFU
approach described in the PNAS paper will be further explored in
the German BMBF project TSL-LIFU together with the
biopharmaceutical company Thermosome and clinical partners
University Hospital of Cologne and
University Hospital of Munich.
* Hijnen N,
Kneepkens E, de Smet M,
Langereis S, Heijman E, and Grüll
H, Thermal combination therapies for local drug
delivery by magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity
focused ultrasound. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Science (PNAS) doi.
10.1073/pnas.1700790114.
A PDF version of the study on MR-HIFU technology published in
PNAS can be found here.
About Royal
Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX:
PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving
people's health and enabling better outcomes across
the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to
diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced
technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to
deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader
in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient
monitoring and health informatics, as well as
in consumer health and home care. Philips' health
technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 70,000
employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News
about Philips can be found at
http://www.philips.com/newscenter.
For further information, please contact:
Mark Groves
Philips Strategy and Innovation
Tel.: +31-631-639-916
E-mail: mark.groves@philips.com
Steve Klink
Philips Group Press Office
Tel.: +31-6-1088-8824
E-mail: steve.klink@philips.com