Microwave Confocal Detection and Thermal Therapy for Breast Cancer: Adaptive Phased Array System for In-Vitro Mapping/Targeting Telomerase Activity

摘要

Microwave hyperthermia has shown promise in the treatment of malignant breast tumors with minimal side effects due to the use of non-ionizing radiation. However the full potential has yet to be realized due to technological limitations. This project aimed to improve this technology in two areas. The first area of research is developing biocompatible vectors with high microwave absorbing and scattering materials. These would enhance in-vivo localization of target cells, where the activity of specific markers is present. The second area of research seeks to optimize the microwave energy delivery system, studying the efficiency of pulsed/continuous energy deposition for frequency from 30 MHz to 3 GHz, where the hyperthermia has shown best therapeutic results therapy and detection systems are designed. In these two years of research only part of the first issue was addressed, identifying and measuring biocompatible materials that would enhance the absorption and/or the scattering of microwave photons in water based inhomogeneous medium. The first year was dedicated to deepening our understanding of dipolar polarization and conduction mechanisms, which determine the efficiency of microwave heating. A measurement system was then established and a series of measurements was taken on water-soluble conductive polymers. The first measurements on conductive polymers showed promising results, while the water isotopes didn't show the desired absorbing behavior in the liquid state. Future research work could be aimed to better understand their absorption mechanism as well as to include these materials in liposomes and optimize the external delivery system.