what are Tumor
Treating Fields?
Tumor Treating Fields, or TTFields, are electric fields that disrupt cancer cell division.
what is an electric field?
An electric field is a field of force. Electric fields surround all charged objects. An electric field exerts forces on other charged objects within it.
Tumor Treating Fields describe electric fields that alternate 100,000 to 300,000 times per second to target cancer cells
treating cancer
with electric fields
Tumor Treating Fields are alternating electric fields specifically tuned to target cancer cells. Once the electric fields enter the cancer cell, they attract and repel charged proteins during cancer cell division.
The idea behind Tumor Treating Fields is simple yet ingenious: We harness basic physical principles using electric fields to disrupt cancer cell division.—Uri Weinberg,
Chief Science Officer
Tumor Treating Fields utilize the natural electrical properties of dividing cancer cells
Cellular proteins such as tubulin and septin are strongly affected by Tumor Treating Fields because they are highly polar, containing both positive and negative charges. During cell division, tubulin and septin must position themselves in a particular way in order for the cell to divide. Tumor Treating Fields exert forces on tubulin and septin, preventing them from moving to their correct locations and disrupting cancer cell division.
Tumor Treating Fields cause minimal damage to healthy cells
Tumor Treating Fields do not stimulate or heat tissue and targets dividing cancer cells of a specific size. Tumor Treating Fields cause minimal damage to healthy cells. Mild to moderate skin irritation is the most common side effect reported.
Tumor Treating Fields therapy shows promise across a variety of solid tumor cancers
Tumor Treating Fields therapy is approved in certain countries for the treatment of adults with glioblastoma or mesothelioma, two of the most difficult cancer types to treat. The therapy shows promise in multiple solid tumor types —including some of the most aggressive forms of cancer.
learn more about our pipeline