Create a smart sponge that prevents the symptoms of chemotherapy

A group of scientists at the University of California has created a smart sponge with three-dimensional printing technology that opens the door to hope as a way to get rid of the brutal side effects of chemotherapy.

Innovation depends on the filtering of powerful drugs and their extraction out of the blood once the tumors have been treated, so as not to affect healthy cells.

In the British newspaper "Daily Mail", researchers use a three-dimensional printer to make spongy structures in the form of cylinders, not exceeding 3 mm, made from the compound "Polyethylene glycol (PEG)".

The cylinders contain a square mesh structure that allows blood cells to pass through and encapsulates the network structure with a layer of "copolymers" that helps prevent the passage of chemotherapy and its transfer to healthy cells.

The researchers, led by Professor Nietash, tested this new innovation on three pigs: they injected the microorganism into a vein, and then doxorubicin in the same vein, which allowed the smart sponge of absorb 64% of doxorubicin, a liver cancer drug.

Although it is unclear to what extent this innovation would reduce the remaining side effects, it was observed that smart sponges did not produce side effects or clots.

In addition, experts believe that this innovation will save millions of patients devastating side effects, including hair loss, nausea, stress and diarrhea.

Scientists hope that this device will slow down or even prevent the effects of healthy tissue. It is also possible to use this smart sponge to absorb other dangerous drugs, such as potent antibodies toxic to the kidneys.