An apparatus and method for selectively heating a biological target within a treatment region of a subject is disclosed. The method includes administering to the subject a dielectric heating modulator that becomes associated with the biological target. The method also includes positioning the treatment region between first and second electrodes connected to a generator, and activating the generator to apply an alternating electric field between the first and second electrodes and across the treatment region to thereby heat the treatment region. The dielectric heating modulator causes the biological target to heat at a faster rate than non-targets within the treatment region, which preferably results in the killing of the biological target.

Disclosed is a composition including magnetic nanoparticles for use in the treatment of a tissue volume including pathological cells in an individual, wherein a portion only of the tissue volume is occupied by the magnetic nanoparticles upon administration of the composition to the individual and the magnetic nanoparticles are excited by radiations.

An instrument for therapeutically cytotoxically ablating parathyroidal tissue is disclosed. A substance delivery device with which a quantity of an activator substance that is less than a cytotoxic ablation quantity threshold of a parathyroid gland can be percutaneously introduced into parathyroidal tissue is provided. The activator substance, when introduced, is not activated. An energy source device that includes a selector with which a quantity of an energy that is less than a cytotoxic ablation energy threshold of the parathyroid gland can be selected and an energy production device operable to apply the energy to the activator substance is provided. The activator substance, when introduced, and the energy indicated, when applied to the introduced activator substance, are in combination capable of cytotoxically ablating the parathyroid tissue and transforming the parathyroid gland from overproduction to non-overproduction of the parathyroid hormone in a manner that maintains non-parathyroidal tissue functions and is non-lethal.

Methods are disclosed for treating cell components, cells, organelles, organs, and/or tissues with acoustic energy, electromagnetic energy, static or alternating electric fields, and/or static or alternating magnetic fields in the presence or absence of exogenous particulate agents for therapeutic applications.

An apparatus and method for selectively heating adipose cells within a treatment region of a subject is disclosed. The method includes positioning the treatment region between first and second electrodes connected to a generator, and activating the generator to apply an alternating electric field between the first and second electrodes and across the treatment region to thereby heat the treatment region. The adipose cells heat at a faster rate than non-targets within the treatment region, which preferably results in the killing of the adipose cells.

An apparatus and method for heating a treatment region of a subject via the application of an alternating electric field is disclosed. The method includes positioning a treatment region of a subject between a first electrode and a second electrode sized to extend across the treatment region. The first and second electrodes are connected to a generator operable to apply an alternating electric field between the electrodes at a frequency in the range of 1 MHz to 100 MHz. The method also includes activating the generator to apply the alternating electric field between the first and second electrodes and across the treatment region. The alternating electric field causes movement of polar molecules in the treatment region whereby friction resulting from this molecular movement translates into heat throughout the treatment region.

The present disclosure provides devices, systems and methods for hyperthermia cancer treatment by supplying ferromagnetic nanoparticles to a target area having or suspected of having cancer cells, the ferromagnetic nanoparticles are configured to attach to the cancer cells and heat by absorbing magnetic energy, and radiating the target area with microwaves such that the target area is within a nearfield range of the radiated microwave, and the microwave radiation nearfield is magnetically biased such that the ratio of magnetic energy to electric energy is greater than 1.

Apparatus and methods are described for use with a subject suffering from cancer. A nanoparticle (22) includes an inner core (30) that comprises a phase-change material that is configured to absorb latent heat of fusion by undergoing a phase change. An outer layer (32) disposed around the inner core includes a plurality of nano-spheres (34) of at least one metal, and a plurality of molecules (38) of a substance that binds preferentially with cancerous cells relative to non-cancerous cells. The nanoparticle has a volume of at least 65,000 nm.sup.3 and is elongatable into an ellipsoid, such that, when the nanoparticle is maximally elongated, each of the semi-axes defined by the ellipsoid is greater than 5 nm, and at least two of the semi axes of the ellipsoid are less than 30 nm. Other applications are also described.

A system combines hyperthermia and radiation treatments in a single treatment modality by using a radioactive seed having magnetic, ferromagnetic, or ferrimagnetic properties.

Apparatus and methods are described for use with a subject suffering from cancer. A nanoparticle (22) includes an inner core (30) that comprises a phase-change material that is configured to absorb latent heat of fusion by undergoing a phase change. An outer layer (32) disposed around the inner core includes a plurality of nano-spheres (34) of at least one metal, and a plurality of molecules (38) of a substance that binds preferentially with cancerous cells relative to non-cancerous cells. The nanoparticle has a volume of at least 65,000 nm.sup.3 and is elongatable into an ellipsoid, such that, when the nanoparticle is maximally elongated, each of the semi-axes defined by the ellipsoid is greater than 5 nm, and at least two of the semi axes of the ellipsoid are less than 30 nm. Other applications are also described.