India-Made Anti-Cancer Device Cytotron Gets ‘Breakthrough’ Designation From US FDA

The anti-cancer device, Cytotron, developed by Bangalore-based Rajah Vijay Kumar received a “breakthrough” designation from the U.S. FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health for the treatment of liver, pancreatic and breast cancers.

Having this designation means that there is evidence that the drug or therapy that treats a serious condition, in this case, a device, demonstrates “substantial improvement on a clinically significant endpoint(s) over available therapies.” With it, the review and development of the treatment will be expedited so that it will be available as soon as it can be concluded that the benefits justify the risks, considering the seriousness of the disease as well as the availability of other treatments.

"It is a great feeling that after so many years of hard work, against all odds, an institution like the USFDA is designating our work as a breakthrough in the treatment of three types of cancer," Kumar said.

Apart from Cytotron’s merits as a cancer treatment, the FDA also commended the fact that the device is all made in India with hardly any imported components.

Cytotron is already approved and being used to treat cancer in countries like UAE, Hong Kong, Mexico and Malaysia.

How Cytotron Works?

Cytotron, which Kumar developed after 30 years of research, uses fast radio bursts (FRB) to communicate with cellular command and control to regulate a specific gene or protein. Specifically, Cytotron first alters the protein pathways of a protein called P53 to induce death in cancer cells, then it stops the spread of cancer by inhibiting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition cells responsible for the spread of cancer.

Simply put, Cytotron is specifically designed to cause the death of cancer cells and to stop it from spreading, features that are very important considering that a significant percentage of cancer patients die from metastasis or the spread of cancer.

Cancer Treatments

Different cancers require different treatments, but the treatment a patient is given may also vary depending on the size or progression of cancer. In some cases, a patient may undergo just one type of treatment, but others may require a combination of two or more. Some patients may also opt to participate in clinical trials for new possible treatments.

While the ultimate goal of cancer treatments is to free patients from their cancer and allow them to live a normal life span, in some severe cases, the goal may simply be to slow the growth of cancer and allow the patients to live symptom-free for as long as possible.