In a wholly new approach to cancer treatment, Northwestern University biomedical engineers have doubled the effectiveness of chemotherapy in animal experiments. Instead of attacking cancer directly, the first-of-its-kind strategy prevents cancer cells from evolving to withstand treatment - making the disease easier to target with existing drugs. Not only did the approach fully wipe out the disease to near completion in cellular cultures, but it also dramatically increased the effectiveness of chemotherapy in mouse models of human ovarian cancer.
Glioblastoma tumors exhibit dramatic variations in their genetic makeup and structure across different regions, complicating treatment efforts and emphasizing their treatment-resistant characteristics.