Scientists from the Houston Methodist Academic Institute have developed a tiny — smaller than a grain of rice — nanofluidic device that delivers cancer drugs directly to pancreatic tumors.

According to the team of scientists, the nanofluidic drug-eluting seed (NDES) delivers low-dose immunotherapy via CD40 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) — which encourage the immune system to fight tumor cells — directly to pancreatic tumors to treat the aggressive form of pancreatic cancer.

Source: Houston Methodist Academic Institute

In the lab, the team reported a four-fold shrinkage of tumors in animal models where NDES was precisely delivered.

In addition to shrinking tumors, the team of scientists suggests that the device promises to protect the rest of the body from exposure to cancer drugs and to reduce the number of side effects encountered with higher concentrations of cancer drugs.

The nanofluidic device is detailed in the article, "Sustained Intratumoral Administration of Agonist CD40 Antibody Overcomes Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment in Pancreatic Cancer," which appears in the journal Science Advances.