Hyperthermia is the elevation of physiological temperatures over 41.5°C

So far, so good. Over the past two months we have been able to conduct around six experiments with the MCF 7 and Caco 2 cells. We have controlled hyperthermic conditions such as temperature and heat therapy exposure time. We will continue doing this experiments, until further information regarding post-treatment cell survival is obtained. 

On a personal note, I would rate my progress as 4. This is due to the fact that I have learned  most techniques in our experiments. However, I do not know if these same techniques will be employed for the second round of our project: Using magnetic nanoparticles!

Cancer Cell Replication

For over fifty years, cancer has kept its place as the second cause of death in the United States. The development of the optimal treatment for cancer, however, has been the goal of researchers for over a hundred years. Despite all the advances in the knowledge of how and why cancer can develop in humans, so far the most effective treatments for this disease pose numerous side effects that endanger the lives of patients as much as cancer itself. In recent years, the use of magnetic nanoparticles to induce localized hyperthermia has been a challenge for most researchers, yet it has shown promising results. Unlike chemotherapy and radiotherapy, localized hyperthermia induced by magnetic nanoparticles has not presented any significant side effects. On the contrary, hyperthermia has been shown to induce tumor immunity by secretion of heat shock proteins carrying antigens of cancerous cells and being represented by antigen presenting cells via MHC I pathway. Although localized hyperthermia has had its extensive study in vitro, it has not been compared to whole-culture hyperthermia. In this study,  focus on the use and comparison of different methods to induce hyperthermia on Caco-2 and MCF-7 cancerous cell lines. Caco-2 cells are found in most case of breast cancer, while MCF-7 cells are specific for colon cancer. Also, this project aims at elucidating the specific mechanisms of cell death under different hyperthermia-inducing treatments.