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The heating of biological tissue by the application of high frequency electromagnetic fields.

hen people think about microwaves, they normally think about their microwave ovens, but these waves can be used for much more than heating up food. Prof. Charles V. Sammut and his Electromagnetics Research Group (EMRG) at the Faculty of Science, University of Malta, are conducting research on how those same waves can be developed for medical applications.

The lab is fitted out with state-of-the-art equipment. The EMRG uses a Vector Network Analyser and special probes to see how tissue reacts to electromagnetic fields (their dielectric properties) like those used by mobile phones and microwave ovens. The technology is especially helpful in diagnosing and treating cancer. The tumour can be identified through imaging or burnt away using hyperthermia. While imaging technologies using microwaves are still at an experimental stage, microwave and radio frequency hyperthermia are already in use in some European medical centres.

The technology is still in its infancy and needs further experimentation before it will be ready for public release. The findings can then be used to manufacture medical devices that will benefit people all over the world.