Non-invasive RF cancer treatment

Non-invasive RF cancer treatment is a theoretical/experimental cancer treatment developed by Pennsylvania inventor John Kanzius. This theoretical method of cancer treatment employs a combination of either gold or carbon nanoparticles and radio waves to heat and destroy cancer cells while ignoring healthy cells.

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Theory

The theory behind the therapy is that radio waves are, for the most part, harmless to living tissue, but that the waves do heat up certain metals. If, in theory, nanoparticles of carbon or gold were to bind to cancer cells, and only cancer cells, then radio wave exposure would heat the cancer cells to a desired temperature and destroy them, while ignoring and not affecting neighboring healthy cells. This process is being called in Kanzius' patent applications "RF-induced hyperthermia". The problem is targeting only the cancer cells. More specifically, the problem is finding a way for the nanoparticle targets to bind only to the cancer cells while ignoring healthy cells. The theory is that the nanoparticles would carried through the bloodstream by a targeting molecule, binding only to the cancer cells, the targeting molecule ignoring the healthy cells.

According to a powerpoint presentation presented by Dr. Steven Curley, the types of cancer that may possibly be treated using Kanzius RF therapy include primary and secondary liver cancers, lung, breast, prostate, kidney, pancreas, brain, bone, skin, thyroid, sarcomas, ovarian, colon/rectal, lymphomas and leukemias.^[1]

History

In 2003 and 2004, John Kanzius was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and while undergoing treatment he began to think of how he could employ what he knew to battle what he suffered from. John Kanzius is a retired radio and tv engineer, and a HAM radio operator. It is from this expertise that John theorized that radio waves could be utilized in the fight against cancer. John Kanzius has no medical experience, and only a technical degree in electronics, but does have a lifetime of experience with radio equipment. It is based on this experience that John engineered what is now known as the Kanzius RF Machine. At first, John Kanzius had nothing to go on but that little bits of metal could be heated after applying radio waves, but Richard Smalley, nanotechnology pioneer and creator of the buckyball, heard about the theory from colleagues in 2005 and contributed the theory that carbon nanotubes could be heated when radio waves were applied.

The medical community first took notice in the spring of 2005, when experiments were done at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Since then, ongoing research has also been done at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, led by Stephen Curley, a professor of surgical oncology.

The Kanzius RF Machine

The Kanzius RF Machine was invented by John Kanzius. The description of the Kanzius RF Machine, from a Pittsburgh Associated Press article, and as used during animal experimentation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is as follows:

"The device uses a capacitor to focus radio waves in a transmitting head to send them to a receiving head. Between the two machines is a space of several inches where a rat will be placed so the radio waves can be sent through it"^[2].

The device first used by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was built and donated by Energy-Onix, a Valatie, N.Y based company that manufactures radio transmitters.^[2]

The nature of the machine can be further illustrated when looking at the graphics in the patent applications seen below.

Four units are currently in service at the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center received their first unit in May of 2005, and MD Anderson Cancer Center received their first machine in January of 2006. John Kanzius' predicts a near term demand of 3,000 to 5,000 units with long term expectations at 50,000 to 100,000 units^[3].

Until targeting is fully viable, Kanzius is considering only making the machine available only to a few well renowed medical centers. As patent holder, he decides who is able to purchase the machines^[4].

Nanoparticles

According to Dr. Steven Curley, gold nanoparticles, which are already FDA approved, would be likely the first nanoparticle candidates in clinical trials of Kanzius' RF treatment. Further experimentation confirmed that the gold nanoparticles are not cytotoxic and that they are able to be heated by an RF Field, resulting in cell death. The conclusion of the experimentation was that gold nanoparticles are viable candidates for the Kanzius RF cancer treatment.^[5]

Targeting molecules

According to Dr. Steven Curley, the first targeting molecule will be c225, also known as Erbitux or Cetuximab, a "monoclonal antibody" or "single transduction inhibitor". This molecule is already FDA approved^[6]. This molecule targets and binds to the epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) on the surface of a cell. This molecule is expressed in normal and cancer cells and when it binds to a cell, it inhibits cell growth and results in cell death.^[7]. This molecule doesn't appear to be a candidate for cancer cell only targeting.

Collaborators

Noted collaborators include the late Richard Smalley, credited with creating the buckyball of nanotechnology fame. Smalley believed that carbon nanotubes could be heated when exposed to radio waves, introducing the nanoparticle component of Kanzius RF Therapy^[8].

Another notable collaborator is Stephen A. Curley, M.D., a professor of surgical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston. Curley heads a research team at MD Anderson. The MD Anderson team is collaborating with a Rice University research team.

On April 28th of 2007, a symposium at the Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center at Mercyhurst College was held on the cancer research of John Kanzius. In attendance were a reported 700 people^[9] , including John Kanzius, Dr. Stephen Curley, Erie Mayor Joseph E. Sinnott, Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio, Joyce Savocchio and Bishop Donald W. Trautman of the Catholic Diocese of Erie. At this symposium, city officials stated that they would attempt to tap Erie casino tax revenues to provide additional funding for the cancer research. ^[10]

Therm Med LLC

John Kanzius created a company, called Therm Med LLC. Therm Med LLC is described as "a corporate board of experts to help him write his new patents"^[11].

Therm Med LLC is comprised of the following members: ^[11]

• John Kanzius
• Dr. William Steinbrink, a Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Harvard graduate. Currently, Dr. Steinbrink is on the staff of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harmot Medical Center and Saint Vincent Health Center in Erie, Pennsylvania.^[12]
• Dr. Robert McDonald, nuclear radiologist and former Director of the Radiology Regional Center in Ft. Myers, FL. Currently, Dr. McDonald attends as a nuclear medicine physician at both MD Anderson Cancer Centers in Orlando and Houston, TX.^[13]
• Dr. Michael Keating, Deputy Department Chairmen for the Department of Leukemia at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Keating is a professor of medicine and works as a physician in the leukemia department at the Houston, TX cancer center.^[14]

Also referenced as company members are undisclosed lawyers and businesspersons.

Fundraising and support

In December of 2005, Rick Santorum and Arlen Specter, Republican Senators from Pennsylvania, secured $200,000 in federal funding for the project. Specter had requested that the NIH and NIH Cancer Institute assist with funding the needed animal testing. It is this funding that allowed for initial University of Pittsburgh Medical Center animal testing^[15].

On October 25th of 2007, a press release on Arlen Specter's government home page announced approval for additional funding of $100,000 to go to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to advance the cancer treatment research of Kanzius and company. According to the press release, the funding is hoped to be used "...for tests to advance potential submission of radiowave technology for FDA approval to initiate a clinical trial". This funding is still pending full congressional and Presidential approval before it will be final.^[16]

Actress Sharon Stone has expressed interest in helping support and finance the research involving Kanzius RF Therapy. Sharon Stone has been fundraising in an effort to fight HIV and AIDS, and is interested in finding out if this new method can be used to fight those diseases as well. Kanzius' corporate board, Therm Med LLC, has convince him his treatment may be effective against these diseases as well.^[11]

Former Erie Mayor Joyce Savocchio, of the Community United for a Cancer Cure, announced the organizations goal to raise $3 million to fund research at the MD Anderson Cancer Treatment Center and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center^[17].

On June 12th of 2007, there was a fundraiser held at Erie Insurance Group's headquarters, which was expected to raise more than $150,000 dollars for the cancer treatment research.

From August 10th to the 12th, in Erie, Pennsylvania, there was hosted a motorcycle rally called "Roar On The Shore", with all proceeds going to the John Kanzius Cancer Research Fund. The event charged a one-time five dollar entrance fee for the event. According to the homepage of the City of Erie, over $50,000 was raised for the cancer fund at this event.^[18]

On May 31st of 2007, IAFF Local 293, a group of Erie Professional Firefighters, presented a $1000 dollar donation to aid in funding Kanzius' research. Firefighters are at an elevated risk for several different cancers, and the organization recognized this with the donation aimed at helping fight the disease that had claimed or afflicted many of their own.^[19]

Notable experiments

Pre-clinical trials

An experiment was done at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center by Dr. David Geller, who tested the radio wave treatment on rats with liver tumors. Dr. Geller is co-director of UPMC's Liver Cancer Center^[20].

Dr. Steven Curley, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, has performed experiments on human pancreatic and liver cancer cells showing that when the cancer cell cultures were "spiked" with gold nanoparticles, then exposed to an RF field, up to 100% of the cancer was destroyed. Additional experimentation, in which these nanoparticle "spiked" cell cultures were mixed with healthy cells, resulted in complete cancer cell death, while not affecting the healthy, "unspiked" cells.^[5][21]

On October 31, 2007, it was reported that the RF treatment was tested on rabbits with liver cancer successfully. According to the report, and cited as coming from the recently published article "Carbon nanotube-enhanced thermal destruction of cancer cells in a noninvasive radiofrequency field", in the Journal "Cancer", Kanzius' RF therapy completely destroyed liver tumor cells in the test rabbits with no side effects. In the experiment there were three groups of animals. One group was treated with only the radio waves, which had no effect. Another group was treated with only the nanoparticles, also with no effect. The third group, treated with both radio waves and nanoparticles survived with the cancer cells destroyed. According to Dr. Steven Curley, and the abstract of the article, during the next 12 to 18 months, the authors of the article will be working to develop SWNTs (Single-Walled Nano Tubes) coupled with cancer targeting agents to further enhance cancer specificity.^[3][22]

It is reported that Dr. Steven Geller will be presenting findings regarding the viability of gold nanoparticles in the Kanzius RF treatment at the 3rd Academic Surgical Congress, being held from February 13th to the 15th of 2008.^[23][24]

Clinical trials

Clinical trials have neither been approved, nor performed yet. It is reported that Kanzius is working with the Lee Memorial Health System (LMHS), a provider of health care in southwest Florida, to coordinate tentative clinical trials when approval is granted. Clinical trials may not begin for another three to four years^[25].

Published works

Concerning cancer treatment

From January 19th to the 21st, 2007, was held the 2007 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in Orlando, FL. At this symposium, Christopher J. Gannon, referenced below, presented an abstract regarding the use of gold nanoparticles in the non-invasive RF cancer treatment method Kanzius invented. The abstract was authored by Christopher J. Gannon, P. Mukherjee, and Steven A. Curley and presented at the symposium as a poster presentation^[26][27]

On October 25, 2007, it was reported on GlobalErie.com that John Kanzius' work would be published in the print edition of the major medical journal "Cancer", a publication of the American Cancer Society, in December^[28].

On October 24, 2007, an article titled "Carbon nanotube-enhanced thermal destruction of cancer cells in a noninvasive radiofrequency field" was published in an online version of the journal "Cancer^[22]. Contibutors to this article include:

• John S. Kanzius, cited as inventor of the of the radiofrequency field using nanoparticles, and representative member of Therm Med LLC.
• Richard E. Smalley, PhD, cited as part of Rice University's Department of Chemistry, Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, and the Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory.
• Steven A. Curley, MD, cited as part of the Department of Surgical Oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Rice University.
• Christopher J. Gannon, MD, cited as a part of the MD Anderson Cancer Center's Department of Surgical Oncology.
• Paul Cherukuri, PhD, cited as a part of the MD Anderson Cancer Center's Department of Surgical Oncology and Department of Experimental Therapeutics.
• Boris I. Yakobson, PhD, cited as part of both the Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Rice University
• Laurent Cognet, PhD, cites as part of both the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology at Rice University, but also part of the Center of Optical and Hertzian Molecular Physics at the National Center for Scientific Research at Bordeaux University in Bordeaux, France
• Carter Kittrell, PhD, cited as part of the Department of Chemistry and Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory at Rice University.
• R. Bruce Weisman, PhD, cited as part of the Department of Chemistry and the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology at Rice University.
• Matteo Pasquali, PhD, cited as part of the Department of Chemistry, the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, the Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory, and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University.
• Howard K. Schmidt, PhD, cited as part of both the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, and the Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory at Rice University.

This is one of two research manuscripts for publication Dr. Curley has been reported to have submitted.

It is reported that a paper documenting the viability of gold nanoparticles in the RF cancer treatment process is expected to be published in the spring.^[29]

Patents

• WO patent application 2005120639 SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMBINED RF-INDUCED HYPERTHERMIA AND RADIOIMMUNOTHERAPY
• WO patent application 2005110544 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RF-INDUCED HYPERTHERMIA
• US patent application 2006190063 Enhanced systems and methods for RF-induced hyperthermia
• EP patent application 1758648 ENHANCED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RF-INDUCED HYPERTHERMIA
• WO patent application 2007027620 ENHANCED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RF-INDUCED HYPERTHERMIA II

See also

• carbon nanotubes
• Nanoshell
• colloidal gold
• radio frequency
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Oncology
• List of oncology-related terms
• MD Anderson
• Rice University
• Naomi Halas

References