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Biomaterials and Magnetic fields for Cancer TherapyThe field of biomaterials has emerged as an important topic in the purview of NASA s new vision of research activities in the Microgravity Research Division. Although this area has an extensive track record in the medical field as borne out by the routine use of polymeric sutures, implant devices, and prosthetics, novel applications such as tissue engineering, artificial heart valves and controlled drug delivery are beginning to be developed. Besides the medical field, biomaterials and bio-inspired technologies are finding use in a host of emerging interdisciplinary fields such as self-healing and self-assembling structures, biosensors, fuel systems etc. The field of magnetic fluid technology has several potential applications in medicine. One of the emerging fields is the area of controlled drug delivery, which has seen its evolution from the basic oral delivery system to pulmonary to transdermal to direct inoculations. In cancer treatment by chemotherapy for example, targeted and controlled drug delivery has received vast scrutiny and substantial research and development effort, due to the high potency of the drugs involved and the resulting requirement to keep the exposure of the drugs to surrounding healthy tissue to a minimum. The use of magnetic particles in conjunction with a static magnetic field allows smart targeting and retention of the particles at a desired site within the body with the material transport provided by blood perfusion. Once so located, the therapeutical aspect (radiation, chemotherapy, hyperthermia, etc.) of the treatment, now highly localized, can be implemented.
Document ID
20040000699
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Ramachandran, Narayanan
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Mazuruk, Konstanty
(Alabama Univ. Huntsville, AL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2003
Subject Category
Life Sciences (General)
Meeting Information
Meeting: Conference on Space Technologies
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Country: United States
Start Date: November 4, 2003
End Date: November 6, 2003
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS8-02096
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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