Killing cancer cells without chemotherapy, radiation or surgery may be getting closer

Invention by cancer patient is creating a buzz in medical labs around the country.

The invention that began in the garage of cancer patient, John Kanzius, is now causing a scientific stir across the country.

John's idea is to use a low power radio frequency generator to heat up tiny nanoparticles inside cancer cells.

The nanotubes would quickly heat up and die.But nearby healthy tissues would ignore the frequency.

Dr. Steven Curley, M.D. is heading up a team of researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. They have been experimenting with the Kanzius invention for two years.

"Because of the small size of these nanotubes," said Curley, "there is incredible potential. If we can deliver these to the cancer cells this could be a treatment for any kind of cancer you can imagine."

Curley's team used nanotubes with the Kanzius RF machine on a New Zealand rabbit with liver cancer.In 120 seconds, the cancer cells weres killed.

Results of the experiment will be published in the December issue of the "Cancer" medical journal.

Besides Erie and Houston, Texas, work is now being done by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Liver cancer specialist Dr. David Geller, M.D., co-director of the Starzel Transplantation Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has been using carbon and gold nanoparticles with the Kanzius machine for two years.

Dr. Geller told Channel 3's Mike O'Mara that, "the excitment is there right now. The slope of the curve is starting to accelerate and we're still in our infancy, but we've gotten through some major hurdles in the last two years".

Geller added, "so far we haven't crossed the critical step of showing selectivity in targeting the cancer cells. But we will never get there without taking these small steps."

The tiny nanoparticles are so small that thousands can be ingested by a single cell.But injecting them into tissue is not the answer.Getting them only into cancer cells is the key.

At the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Roger Macklis, M.D. is the head of the radiation/oncology department.

"This is a slick way to use nanotechnology to kill cancer cells in a non-invasive fashion," said Macklis.

"However, how do you select between normal cells and cancer cells?," added Macklis. "You know it would be very cool if I said the cancer cells are much more likely to gobble up one of these nanotubes. But so far that's not what they show. And that's a problem."

Nanoparticle expert and Nobel Prize winning physics professor, Rick Smalley, became an advocate for using nanotubes to treat cancer with the Kanzius invention. Before he died of cancer, he discussed the research with his friend, Dr. Steven Curley, in Houston.

"I talked with him 3 days before Rick died", recalls Dr. Curley. "I was sitting with him in his hospital room. And he said, 'I want you to keep working on this. Promise me!'" I said, "'Rick, I do promise you because I think that really has a lot of potential.'" Rick looked at me and said, "'this may be the most important thing I've ever done.'"

Inventor, John Kanzius is battling leukemia right now. His RF device and nanotube treatment may not be sufficiently developed and approved fast enough to save his life.

His wife, Marianne said, "some people will look at John and think he's been in remission. He has not been. John works in spite of all that he's going through. This is so important for him."

"Well, I never did it for myself," said Kanzius. "So it doesn't make any difference. But if it does end up working for me, I guess it would please my family and friends if I could stay around a little bit longer."

John biggest motivation is to help the children with cancer. While undergoing chemotherapy, he has seen the faces of so many young ones battling the disease at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. John hopes his invention can be used to kill cancer before the disease claims more lives.

Kanzius says he won't be tempted to sell off his invention and abandon his mission.

"Venture capitalists, big pharmaceutical companies that might want to buy this to tempt me and stop the research," added Kanzius, "that is not going to happen. There is no amount of money that can buy me off. You can not put a price on a human life".

Looking at his device in the laboratory in Erie, Pennsylvania, John said, "if this ends up working they way it looks, it really could be the holy grail of cancer research."