(THERMOGUIDE) Optimizing delivery and effectiveness of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients using thermotherapy under image-guidance

Project summary

Most patients with breast cancer undergo chemo-therapy before or after surgery. Chemotherapy is generally applied as a systemic therapy and <1% of the administered drugs actually reach the tumour. Thermotherapy improves drug delivery at the tumour area and amplifies the anti-tumour effect of the drugs. A precise application of thermotherapy is required to improve clinical outcomes for primary breast cancer. I aim to develop a novel, MR compatible thermotherapy system for MR-adaptive spatial and biological chemo-targeting in primary breast cancers.

A new and promising breast cancer treatment method will be developed, with future possibility in applying to other types of cancer, such as lung or brain, with excellent applicability to lower income countries. In a broader scope, this new technology may also combine with thermal ablation, and to be used as support for smart drug delivery using temperature sensitive liposomes.