Norway researching on gas bubbles for Cancer drug delivery

Norwegian researchers are now working to design stable micro-bubbles which, combined with ultrasound, can deliver cancer drugs straight to the target tumor.

The project recently started up in Trondheim is called 'BubbleCAN' and is based on SINTEF proprietary technology. Researchers are making stable micro-bubbles containing chemotherapeutic drugs. The bubbles can be used in combination with ultrasound and are highly suitable for inoperable cancers and brain tumors that are difficult to treat using current methods.
Yrr Mørch at SINTEF stated that in traditional chemotherapy approaches, as little as between 0.001 and 0.01% of the drug injected into the body will reach the target tumor.
"The rest damages healthy cells and tissue, resulting in terrible side-effects," says Mørch. "But when we combine bubbles with ultrasound we can increase the amount of drug delivered directly to the cancer by creating small pores in the walls of the vessels supplying blood to the tumor.
The challenge facing researchers is that the bubbles are delicate and only have a restricted lifetime in the bloodstream. The aim of the BubbleCAN project is to optimiz
e the micro-bubble concept and develop a commercial product.The project is planned to run over two and a half years and is funded by the Research Council of Norway via a joint announcement made by the FORNY and BIOTEK2021 research programs and the Norwegian Cancer Society.