MEDICAL SCIENCE
Medical Updates Researchers develop a wearable patch for melanoma A team of researchers at Purdue University, in Lafayette, IN has developed a patch that painlessly delivers a topical treatment for melanoma (Journal ACS Nano). The team has reported that they developed the novel wearable patch with fully miniaturized needles, enabling unobtrusive drug delivery through the skin for the management of skin cancers. The new patch is a flexible, thin, water-soluble film that quickly dissolves after deploying specially designed silicon nanoneedles into the skin. These nanoneedles are biocompatible — harmless to living tissue — and after they deliver timed-release medication, they are absorbed by the body. Removal by surgical excision is the preferred treatment for skin cancer. However, melanoma can be aggressive and recur frequently, often necessitating repeated rounds of conventionally delivered chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is a particularly important element of treatment
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when surgery is no longer an option or when the cancer has spread. These therapies can be difficult for patients and often cause toxicity and other side effects. The research finding assumes relevance in the light of these facts. Strong muscles may support the immune system New research in mice has revealed that strong skeletal muscles play an important role in maintaining an effective immune system. This is particularly the case during severe chronic illnesses, which can otherwise wear the immune system down. In addition, skeletal muscles may combat the process of cachexia. This refers to the wasting away of muscle and fat that often accompanies severe chronic illness, alongside a weakening of the immune system. The research, which scientists at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg have now published in the journal Science Advances, lays the groundwork for future studies to determine if the same is true in humans. Executive Knowledge Lines
