{
    "title": "Tumor-Curing Electric Fields",
    "inventor_name": "Yoram Palti",
    "publication_year": 2007,
    "device_name": "NovoCure Tumor-Treating Fields (TTFields) device",
    "goal": "Selectively destroy dividing cancer cells while sparing normal tissue",
    "problem_addressed": "Treatment-resistant brain tumors (glioblastoma) and other rapidly dividing cancers",
    "concept_summary": "A medical device applies low-intensity, intermediate-frequency alternating electric fields to a patient's head (or other body region) via insulated electrodes. The non-uniform field concentrates at the narrow cleavage furrow of dividing cells, causing polarizable intracellular components to move and disrupt mitosis, leading to selective death of cancer cells.",
    "detailed_description": null,
    "category": "Medical & Dental Technologies",
    "principles": [
        "Non-uniform electric field concentration at cellular cleavage furrow",
        "Frequency-specific alternating electric fields (100-300 kHz)",
        "Selective vulnerability of rapidly dividing cells"
    ],
    "scientific_domains": [
        "Biophysics",
        "Oncology",
        "Electrical Engineering"
    ],
    "mechanisms_of_action": [
        "AC electric field induces movement of polarizable intracellular members toward cleavage furrow",
        "Increased field density disrupts DNA and structural proteins during mitosis",
        "Dividing cells disintegrate while non-dividing cells remain intact"
    ],
    "materials": [
        "Insulated electrodes",
        "Conductive substrate",
        "Thin dielectric coating"
    ],
    "energy_sources": [
        "Electrical power (AC voltage source)"
    ],
    "inputs": [
        "Patient tissue (brain or other target region)",
        "Adhesive electrode array",
        "Generator control software"
    ],
    "outputs": [
        "Alternating electric field applied to target region",
        "Selective tumor cell death"
    ],
    "claimed_performance": "Killed cancer cells of every type tested in lab and animal studies; pilot clinical study of 10 glioblastoma patients reported one complete recovery and encouraging tumor-shrinkage results.",
    "experimental_evidence": "Laboratory cell-culture experiments, animal tumor models, and a pilot human study (10 patients) with reported tumor response.",
    "replication_status": "Late-stage clinical trials in the United States and Europe (Phase III).",
    "keywords": [
        "Tumor treating fields",
        "Electric field therapy",
        "Glioblastoma",
        "Selective cytotoxicity",
        "AC electric field"
    ],
    "related_technologies": [
        "Electroporation",
        "Radiofrequency ablation",
        "Magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound"
    ],
    "controversy_level": "low",
    "confidence_score": 0.9,
    "practicability_score": 0.8,
    "fringe_score": 0.2,
    "evidence_strength": 0.6,
    "risk_score": 0.2,
    "trl_estimate": 7,
    "source_urls": [
        "http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/19195/",
        "https://patents.google.com/patent/US7136699",
        "https://patents.google.com/patent/US2006282122"
    ],
    "organizations": [
        "NovoCure",
        "Technion - Israel Institute of Technology"
    ],
    "applications": [
        "Treatment of glioblastoma",
        "Treatment of other solid tumors (e.g., breast cancer)",
        "Potential prophylactic use for high-risk patients"
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Device must be worn continuously for weeks-to-months",
        "Effectiveness limited to tumors accessible to electrode placement",
        "Requires precise frequency and field-strength tuning"
    ],
    "open_questions": [
        "Long-term survival benefit compared with standard of care",
        "Optimal field parameters for different tumor types",
        "Mechanisms of resistance, if any"
    ],
    "red_flags": [],
    "evidence_quotes": [
        "The device is in late-stage clinical trials in the United States and Europe for glioblastoma.",
        "In the lab and in animal testing, treatment with electric fields has killed cancer cells of every type tested.",
        "The Food and Drug Administration approved the device for late-stage clinical trials following promising results from a pilot study in 10 patients, one of whom had a complete recovery."
    ]
}