Advancing cancer therapy with custom-built alternating electric field devices

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Cancer Research
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) show promise in glioblastoma (GBM) therapy, extending survival with temozolomide.
• Current TTFields devices have limitations, necessitating alternative systems for broader research application.
• This study aimed to develop a custom alternating electric field device to explore electrode design's impact on cancer cell response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a custom-built alternating electric field device for in vitro GBM research.
• To investigate the effect of electrode design on cancer cell responsiveness to alternating electric fields.
• To assess the influence of cell morphology on therapy response.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 96-well microtiter plate with an electrode array for in vitro alternating electric field application.
• Testing with patient-derived GCE 31 (core) and GIN 31 (invasive margin) GBM cell lines.
• Application of low-intensity (3 V/cm) alternating electric fields/currents (300 kHz) for 4-48 hours, with and without zinc oxide nanoparticles.

Main Results:

• Adherent GBM cells (GCE 31, GIN 31) showed no significant metabolic change with or without zinc oxide nanoparticles.
• Semi-adherent D425 GBM cells exhibited a 1.8-fold increase in metabolic activity when exposed to alternating electric fields.
• D425 cells exposed to alternating electric currents (with or without ZnO) showed reduced metabolism.

Conclusions:

• Cell morphology significantly influences responsiveness to alternating electric fields, as demonstrated by the differential response of adherent versus semi-adherent GBM cells.
• The study highlights a limited understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying electric field effects on cancer cells.
• Further research into the mechanisms of action and specific cancer cell responses is crucial for enhancing electric field therapies.