Quick Hits: Metal Mesh Containing T Cells Shrinks Tumors

The team used thin, almost translucent metal films manufactured by Monarch Biosciences, a company that also helped fund the project. The films were about 7x thinner than a human hair, and made of nickel titanium, which can safely be implanted in the body. The films were woven in a specific way to hold T cells until they could gravitate toward the tumor. Within 10 days, the tumors disappeared in all mice, and after 20 days, 70% of the mice were still tumor-free. More studies and clinical trials are needed, but the team believes the implanted film method could eventually be used to treat diseases like pancreatic and ovarian cancer.