3 People Get Brain Cancer Detecting Implants

San Francisco starting with relationships with Elon Musk’s Neuralink he has started his experiments brainstorming diagnosis and treatment of cancer in humans.

Coherence Neuro says it has temporarily implanted its own microchip into the brains of three people undergoing surgery to remove brain tumors at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia. The implant lasted for about 30 minutes before being removed, and evaluation is needed before long-term safety can be established in brain cancer patients.

Known as a brain-computer interfacethe Coherence Neuro device is designed to detect the unique electrical signals of tumors and deliver a low-frequency electrical current to prevent their growth. While the implant was in the patient’s brain, the company observed how it worked for a short period of time. (The patients consented before surgery.)

Matthew MacDougall, Neuralink’s head neurosurgeon, is a consultant and investor in Coherence. Rory Murphy, a neurosurgeon at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona who is a co-investigator of the Neuralink trial, is also expected to participate in future trials of the Coherence device.

The idea of ​​treating brain tumors with electrical stimulation is based on the long-standing knowledge that cancerous tissue has special electrical properties. Ben Woodington, CEO of Coherence, said: “This is an electrical disorder, similar to epilepsy, similar to depression.

In 2019, researchers at Stanford University found that a group of aggressive brain tumors called advanced gliomas regulate their growth by forming synapses with healthy neurons. In this study, researchers showed that administering the drug to mice was able to disrupt electrical signals to tumors and slow their growth. The use of very low voltage has also been shown to interfere with the division of cancer cells in brain tumors.

A wearable device called Optune, made by Novocure, was first approved in 2011 to help adults with glioblastoma, which makes up about half of all brain tumors. Earlier this year, the company received a patent to help treat pancreatic cancer with its device, which is attached to the head or stomach with adhesives depending on the type of cancer.

Optune’s device can last a few months if worn most of the day, but people have to shave their heads to use it and carry the battery in a bag or waist belt.

Coherence aims to provide electrical stimulation in a simple way. Its insertion is in the skull and has 16 long fibers that extend into the brain tissue. They are designed to be implanted during brain tumor surgery, after the tumor has been removed. Even after tumors are completely removed, it is common for them to return after surgery, which the Coherence device is designed to prevent.

The company initially aims to treat glioblastoma, which has a higher risk of recurrence compared to underlying tumors. Glioblastoma patients have limited options and a dire prognosis. Most patients live 15 to 18 months after diagnosis, and the five-year survival rate is less than 10 percent.

Currently, glioblastoma patients get an MRI of their brain every two to three months so doctors can monitor the growth of the tumor and adjust their treatment plan if needed. But Woodington doesn’t think that’s enough. Brain tumors can suddenly become aggressive, and doctors don’t always know what’s going on between scans. The Coherence device is designed to continuously monitor people and provide electrical stimulation.

The connected app allows patients to log their symptoms, which are sent to doctors along with the condition of their condition and the amount of stimulation they receive. Doctors can adjust the treatment remotely or let the device do it on its own. And by detecting the rapid growth of a tumor, the device can alert doctors when it’s time to operate before the MRI is done.

The company plans to start a trial next year on glioblastoma patients in which they will implant the device permanently.