A Brief Summary

Intense, short duration (20 ns or less), electric pulses have been applied to kill a wide variety of human cancer cells in vitro and induce tumor regression in vivo. A case has been reported in which basal cell carcinoma of a single human patient was eradicated using such electric pulse-driven, needle-array based applicators. Collaboration between the pulsed power group and the Alfred Mann Institute (AMI) at USC has been established to develop pulsed power support for skin cancer treatment, investigate the efficacy and mechanisms of applying nanosecond pulsed applicators (needle-array electrodes or flat-tip non-penetrating electrodes) to remove basal cell carcinoma, and develop systematically and clinically a cancer therapy based on this technique.