New Device Lures Brain Tumor Cells to Death, FDA Designates it Breakthrough Device [Video]

Location of brain tumors are hard to access and the blood-brain barrier prevents most drugs from reaching their targets, this makes treating brain tumors notoriously difficult. Now, a new device called Tumor Monorail that mimics the physical properties of the brain’s white matter to entice aggressive tumors to migrate toward the exterior of the brain, where the migrating cells can be collected and removed, has received FDA’s “breakthrough” designation, reports Duke University.

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“The tumor monorail device is a true game-changer in how we think about treating brain tumors,” said Barun Brahma, a neurosurgeon at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, who has been a member of the research team since the beginning. “There are many tumors that are considered inoperable due to the location of the tumor or the frailty of the patient. This device affords clinicians the ability to surgically treat these tumors with …