Professors Chan Hee Park and Cheol Sang Kim’s team (Department of Mechanical Design Engineering) of Chonbuk National University has developed a completely new cancer treatment technology.

The technology performs six combined therapeutic functions such as heat and light, drugs, near-infrared (NIR) imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), target navigation, and intensive care, as well as target treatment that exclusively seeks cancer cells. It is a whole new anti-cancer technology using iron oxide nanoparticles and an external drive device equipped with artificial intelligence.

Dr. Arathyram Ramachandra Kurup Sasikala and Dr. Afeesh Rajan Unnithan, the first authors of this study, have developed a new heat-generating magnetic nanomaterial that can simultaneously control heat treatment and drug therapy, using nanofibers and magnetic nanoparticles. They published the results in Advanced Functional Materials (IF 13.325) in 2015 and 2017. The new discovery has been published online as the title of “Hexa-functional Tumour-seeking Nano Voyagers and Annihilators for Synergistic Cancer Theranostic Applications” in Nanoscale (IF 7.233) as a follow-up study using a deep learning method.

The conventional chemotherapy method using magnetic nanoparticles was performed solely by the combination of drug and heat treatment. The method has technical limitations in clinical application due to the side effects of damaging cancer cells as well as normal cells.

So, the CBNU researchers discovered a never-before-done method. They developed a digital image of cancer cells, used artificial intelligence to target and seek out only cancer cells, and apply thermo-chemo therapy solely to cancer cells. The team said they proved the efficacy of this method through animal testing.

The results of this study are expected to have a significant impact on not only the market for conventional cancer treating devices, but also on the market for new human implantable interventional devices such as stents.

In particular, it is expected to be commercialized through the 'Intermediate Mechano-Bio Fusion Research Center', which will be established in Chonbuk National University next year with the selection of a project to support the local industrial base in the amount of 19 billion won. Clinical trials will remain until commercialization of this source technology.

The research was made possible with the support of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), and the participation of Arathyram Ramachandra Kurup Sasikala and Afeesh Rajan Unnithan (Department of Bionanosystem Engineering, Graduate School, and Mechanical Design Engineering of Chonbuk National University), Reju George Thomas (Department of Radiology, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital), Tumurbaatar Batgerel (Department of Bionanosystem Engineering, Graduate School, Chonbuk National University, and Power Engineering School, Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia), Yong Yeon Jeong (Department of Radiology, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital), Chan Hee Park and Cheol Sang Kim (Department of Bionanosystem Engineering, Graduate School, and Mechanical Design Engineering of Chonbuk National University).