Science Fiction Becomes Fact as Electricity Is Used Against Skin Cancer

Science Fiction Becomes Fact as Electricity Is Used Against Skin Cancer

Laboratory work has come a long way since 1818, when Mary Shelley published Frankenstein. Some consider her novel the first true science fiction tale because Dr. Victor Frankenstein harnessed modern experiments to achieve fantastic results. The fictional Dr. Frankenstein used electricity to create life. But a very real San Diego company named Oncosec Medical Inc. is now using electricity to try to save lives—specifically the lives of patients with advanced-stage skin cancers such as melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In Frankenstein, the “patient” was hoisted through the ceiling so that bolts of lightning could reanimate his body parts. In contrast, OncoSec’s ImmunoPulse system involves electroporation—the administration of short, intense electric pulses to briefly open pores in the membrane of cancer cells. This allows certain drugs, such as the immunotherapy compound DNA IL-12, to enter into a tumor more easily. In one early-stage study with melanoma patients, OncoSec’s ImmunoPulse system demonstrated a significant effect after DNA IL-12 was introduced into tumor cells via electroporation. Studies have also shown an excellent safety profile. “Far too many of those diagnosed with skin cancer currently face limited treatment options,” says Punit Dhillon, OncoSec’s president and CEO. “ImmunoPulse is designed to target tumor cells with a local treatment but broad focus, using brief electrical pulses to deliver an anti-cancer agent. Our technology aims to harness the immune system to seek and destroy cancer cells.”