James Murphy, Fiona Lyng (RESC)

Background:

It has been demonstrated that the designated Industrial, Scientific and Medical radio frequency of 434 MHz is the closest to the ideal frequency for the sensitisation of tumour cells to treatments such as X-radiation and chemotherapy (Holt, 1980). The pre-exposure of tumours to 434MHz in order to sensitise them to radiotherapy has been well established (Nelson and Holt, 1980). In a more recent review, Holt (2001), who is the pioneer of this treatment, proposes the redox cycling of glutathione as the target of these high frequency radiowaves, and given that this redox cycle is elevated in cancerous cells explains the selective targeting of these cells by 434MHz. Holt (2001) offers the hypothesis that it is the arrest of this redox cycling of glutathione that induces tumour cell death and not the arrest of anaerobic respiration which only transiently inhibits tumour cell growth. The ability of 434MHz to affect changes in glutathione has huge potential for further and expanded use in tumour treatment, however in order to maximise this approach, its precise effects must be elucidated.

Methodology:

i) Tissue culture of PC3 (tumour) and PNT1A (non-tumour) prostate epithelial cells.
ii) Maintenance of cells in normal, hypoxic and anoxic conditions.
iii) Cell survival will be measured using the clonogenic assay.
iv) The ratio of oxidised and reduced glutathione will be determined using DTNB.

Learning outcomes:

Tissue culture
Experimental development and design
Glutathione analysis
Spectrophotometry
Enzyme kinetics
Cell survival assay

Relevance to Research programme:

The project is an examination of the cellular responses to exposure to 434MHZ high-frequency radiowaves to improve current approaches to cancer therapy. This area is as yet poorly understood, though it has been proposed many times by the pioneer of this approach (Dr John Holt) that the target of 434MHZ is the redox cycling of glutathione and if this can be established and or further expanded on then this study will go some way to lending direction to further studies in this field.

References

Holt JA. Alternative therapy for recurrent Hodgkin's disease. Radiotherapy combined with hyperthermia by electromagnetic radiation to create complete remission in 11 patients without morbidity. Br J Radiol. 1980 Nov;53(635):1061-7.

Holt JA. The metabolism of sulphur in relation to the biochemistry of cystine and cysteine: its fundamental importance in biology. A cyclic interchange between their mono- and di-sulphides is the unique reaction creating life and intelligence.
Med Hypotheses. 2001 May;56(5):658-76.

Nelson AJ, Holt JA. Microwave adjuvant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy for advanced lymphoma Med J Aust. 1980 Apr 5;1(7):311-3.