Liping Tang and Jianzhong Su, University of Texas at Arlington

A new “cancer trap,” featuring a protein “bait” and a chemotherapeutic drug lying in wait, promises to catch and kill rogue cancer cells.

One of the many problems with treating cancer is that rogue cells can break away from the primary tumor and travel to distant locations, causing the disease to spread or metastasize.

A new “cancer trap,” featuring a protein “bait” and a chemotherapeutic drug lying in wait, promises to catch and kill these rogue cells. Developed by Liping Tang, professor of bioengineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, the trap is not meant to fight the battle alone. Instead, it’s designed to complement conventional chemo and radiation therapies. While Tang admits the method’s effectiveness is difficult to measure, he believes the technique has a capacity to prolong patients’ lifespans by more than 25 percent.

The “trap” is created by 3-D printing a biodegradable, porous polymer scaffold. Polylactic acid, a common tissue engineering material, is one able candidate for the structure, Tang says… Continue reading.