Electric Pulses Can Heal or Kill Unhealthy Cells

Originally Published MDDI April 2004

R&D DIGEST

A new technology that uses electric fields to alter cells may lead to improved methods of treating diseases such as cancer and leukemia, according to researchers in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering (Los Angeles).

Using a new technology called electroperturbation, cells are exposed to electric pulses for tens of nanoseconds. The pulses are so brief and intense that they pass virtually undetected through the outer membrane of the cell without damaging it. However, the fast-rising pulses are powerful enough to dramatically change the intracellular structures of the cell, or trigger the start of cell death.

As the technology is refined, it may become a more practical and convenient tool for treating a variety of diseases, and may even lead to other biologically inspired nanomachines. 

Copyright ©2004 Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry