Using low frequency magnetic fields to heat nanoparticles for cancer treatment
Official title: Heating Magnetic Nanoparticles using Low Frequency Ferromagnetic Resonance
Funded at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic · NIH-11035505 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is exploring a new way to help cancer treatments work better by using low-frequency magnetic fields to heat tiny magnetic particles, which could make treatments like heat therapy safer and more effective for patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lebanon, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $226,704 |
| NIH project number | 1R21CA297246-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11035505 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research would be patients with specific types of cancer that are amenable to heat-based therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with cancers that do not respond to heat-based treatments or those who are not eligible for such therapies may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates a novel approach to cancer therapy by using low frequency magnetic fields to heat magnetic nanoparticles. The goal is to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatments that rely on heat, such as ablation and drug release, while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. By delivering pulsed radio frequency fields at the ferromagnetic resonance frequency of the nanoparticles, the researchers aim to efficiently deposit energy into the nanoparticles without overheating normal tissues. This method could potentially improve the precision and safety of cancer therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective and safer cancer treatments that target tumors while sparing healthy tissues.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promise in using magnetic nanoparticles for cancer treatment, but this specific approach using low frequency fields is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic
Lebanon, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Weaver, John B — Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic
- Study coordinator: Weaver, John B
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Certified Older Adult Peer Support Telephonic Help for Independent Living with Serious Mental Illness
A phone-based program uses trained peer support specialists aged 50+ to help older adults with serious mental illness living at home maintain independence.
-
BEDRoC Core supports aging with serious illness research at CASI
A core service hub helps researchers study aging with serious illness by offering statistics, ethics guidance, data management, research design, and community engagement.
-
Improving heart and leg health care in rural communities with GDMT and guided exercise
A rural-focused program aims to help people with intermittent claudication from peripheral artery disease get better with guideline-based medicines and a structured exercise plan.
-
Reducing Colorectal Cancer Through Big Data and Modeling
A large project uses decades of colonoscopy data and advanced modeling to reduce how often people develop colorectal cancer and improve screening quality.
-
How the gut bacterium Akkermansia helps control intestinal inflammation
Researchers are looking at how the common gut microbe Akkermansia uses surface proteins to live on the intestinal lining and reduce inflammation in people with conditions like type 2 diabetes.
-
Spine Laser Therapy to Treat Metastases
Aims to use a minimally invasive laser therapy to treat spinal metastases and reduce pain, recovery time, and disruption to other cancer treatments.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.