MyWAVE COST Action is establishing an inter-disciplinary network that brings together key players in the engineering and physical sciences, clinicians as well as translational researchers with a common aim to advance the design, development and commercialisation of electromagnetic hyperthermic technologies.
Electromagnetic (EM) hyperthermic technologies hold great potential in the treatment of diseases, especially for cancers that are resistant to standard regimens. These technologies modify tissue temperature: hyperthermia heats the diseased tissue to make it susceptible to treatments, and ablation heats the tissue until it is destroyed. Hyperthermia is particularly effective in treatment of cervical and breast cancer, head and neck cancers, sarcoma in adults, and germ cell tumours in children; while radiofrequency and microwave ablation offer promise for treating liver, kidney, and lung cancers.
Overall, these techniques have shown significant potential and there is substantial opportunity to solidify their use clinically and to apply them to a wider range of medical conditions. However, underpinning the development of these techniques is the need for accurate knowledge of the dielectric and thermal properties of tissues, which provide the foundation for these technologies and de-risk the technical challenge before commercialization. Furthermore, contributing to the stagnant market of EM hyperthermic medical devices is the fact that, often researchers working on the development of medical technologies are not fully aware of, and not trained to address, the clinical and commercialisation challenges facing novel medical devices.
To address these challenges, the MyWAVE Action takes a holistic approach by bringing together key players in the field of dielectric spectroscopy, translational research, and medical professionals. Conjoining these varied communities into one collaborative network is critical to advance the design, development, and commercialisation of EM hyperthermic technologies, so that they can reach patients faster and improve treatment outcomes.
