Scientists report jolts of electricity literally zaps cancer cells

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Scientists report jolts of electricity literally zaps cancer cells By PHILIP WALZER, The Virginian-Pilot© March 13, 2006 NORFOLK - A team of scientists from Old Dominion University andEastern Virginia Medical School has reported killing melanoma s inmice using lightning-fast, high-powered jolts of electricity.The researchers expect their paper to be placed online Wednesday inthe journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications . It's the culmination of at least eight years of work seeking possiblehealth benefits from short, high-voltage doses of electricity. Theresults, the researchers think , eventually could translate into aneffective cancer treatment that carries no side effects. "We've never had a tumor that didn't respond," said the leadresearcher, Richard Nuccitelli , an associate professor of electricaland computer engineering at Old Dominion. "Every tumor has shrunk. Weknow we can eliminate them with the right conditions." The electric bursts often disrupted the blood flow to the tumor cellsand shrunk their nuclei by 50 percent, Nuccitelli said.The scientists found that they could kill the tumors with hundreds ofelectrical pulses in two treatments given two to three weeks apart.Each burst of electricity carried 4,000 volts and lasted less thanone-millionth of a second. Nuccitelli said they think the process worked by severely damaging theDNA in the cells. The method produced no scarring and did not harm adjacent cells, theprofessors said. The mice survived, they said, with no ill effects.James Weaver , a senior research scientist for the Harvard-MITDivision of Health Sciences and Technology , said Friday that the teamfrom ODU and EVMS is in the forefront of bioelectric research. "People have known for a long time that certain kinds of bigelectrical field pulses can kill cells," he said.This, Weaver said, might mark the first time tumor cells have beenkilled without harming nearby cells. "I think it's going to attract a lot of attention," he said.Another researcher on the team, Karl Schoenbach , who holds ODU'sBatten Endowed Chair of Bioelectric Engineering , said they focused"on the one type of cancer which is the easiest one to access." H esaid the work might have many more applications. "It could give a new weapon to cancer research," Schoenbach said."Maybe some tumors that are not responding now might respondelectrically."Nuccitelli, who also works for a biotechnology company, BioElectroMedCorp. , said the corporation might try to adapt the research to treathuman skin lesions. The scientists said they need to hone their techniques before they canexperiment on people. Doing that, they said, requires a federal grant,which they have not yet won. Eight professors and graduate students participated in the study. Theyare affiliated with the Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics ,a collaborative effort between ODU and EVMS led by Schoenbach. The center takes up the fifth floor of the Norfolk Public HealthCenter , near Brambleton and Colley avenues. The melanoma work is not the first piece of prominent research to comeout of the bioelectrics center in the past year. Mounir Laroussi , an associate professor at Old Dominion, developed a"plasma pencil" that kills E. coli bacteria but leaves skin cellsunharmed. Laroussi has been featured on the Discovery Channel and inNational Geographic. Nuccitelli said he hopes the paper about melanoma will draw lots ofattention."As well as money, of course," said Stephen Beebe , an associateprofessor of physiological sciences at EVMS who helped to pioneer thebioelectric research.Reach Philip Walzer at (757) 222-5105 or phil.walzer