A polymer disc shrinks tumors in rodents by eliciting an immune attack.
In a new approach to fighting cancer, scientists from Harvard University have engineered an implantable disc designed to attract immune cells and prep them to attack tumors. Mice with melanoma tumors were much more likely to survive if they'd been implanted with the device, and tumors disappeared in up to half of the vaccinated animals, according to research published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Researchers believe that the implant elicits a broader immune response than traditional vaccines, and may therefore prove more effective. A startup called InCytu, based in Lincoln, RI, is now developing the technology for human testing.