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	Podcast:		UC Science Today
	Episode:		Soaking up chemotherapy drugs to prevent side effects
	Category:		Science & Medicine
	Duration:		00:01:03
	Publish Date:		2016-08-01 19:00:00
	Description:		Chemotherapy drugs can have brutal side effects, impacting everything from digestion to the nervous system. But what if these drugs could be localized at the site of a tumor to reduce these harms? This is what researcher Chelsea Chen of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab is working towards: new drug-capture materials that are essentially chemical sponges. The polymer devices are called ChemoFilters. "We insert this ChemoFilter through a tiny tube into the body, and the device would be placed right next to the tumor. It is used to capture the chemotherapy drug, and that’s past the tumor, before it enters the body’s circulation. That way it decreases the systemic toxicities." While the device was conceived with liver cancer in mind, Chen is working on ChemoFilters that can absorb other chemotherapy drugs as well. "The ChemoFilter will have broad use, but on the other hand, it’s not applicable to all types of cancers." To be used on humans, the device will require additional testing for federal approval.
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