Application of Low-Frequency, Low-Power Alternating Electric Fields in Cell-Cycle Control for Wearable and Portable Cancer Therapies

Most widely used approaches for preventing fast growing cells from proliferating includes chemical approaches like chenotherapy and the use of high-energy phtoons like X-rays for radiation therapy. These methods also create significant side effects for the cancer patients and are often not robust or successful. Methods to control cell-cycle using electric and magnetic fields have been explored in the past. One approach relates to using intense electric field called electroporation that uses pulsed high intensity electric fields. Here intense and pulsed fields cause irreversible damage to cell membrane permeability. However, a new approach that relies on low-frequency and low-power electric fields are much less harmful and easily adaptable to treat a range of cancer types. Here low-frequency alternating fields are generated with an arrray of electrodes that maiximise the inhomogeneous electric field lines in the cancer region. The electric fields exert forces on polar molecules blocking the formation of mitotic spindle. However, it unclear how these fields can be robustly used for all cancer patients or cell types and be made widely adaptable. Nor do we fully understand the actual mechanisms that slows down cell division and why certain frequencies may have a higher impact than the others. We will present our work further exploring these avenues to combine effects of light and electric fields in cell cycle pathways. We will explore the role of electric fields in accelerating cell-cycle arrest when combined with radiological effects. Underlying mechanisms of action will be investigated using advanced optical and microscopic techqniques.These explorations include laboratory experiments, physics models and simulations. Applications fo these methods can be in cheap, portable and wearable cancer therapies.