Novel Electromagnetic Hyperthermic Technologies

In recent years, the Electromagnetics Research Group has been working on novel Electromagnetic hyperthermic technologies, including the establishment of a Microwave hyperthermia (MW HT) system created by adapting an antenna originally designed for space sciences applications and now repurposing it for medical use. W-HT is a non-invasive technology that uses an array of antennas to focus electromagnetic energy on a specific target region. Through constructive interference, the system maximises the electric field at the desired location, resulting in a controlled increase in temperature.

The team’s latest contribution was presented during the 20th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, proving that the treatment can be optimised through the use of gold nanoparticles ( Au NPs).

A simplified 3D model of breast was simulated, consisting of two main layers: an inner, denser region representing fibro-glandular tissue and an outer layer made of fat. Inside the inner layer, a spherical “tumour” was placed at the centre, creating a compact but realistic breast phantom for testing the treatment approach.

For the nanoparticle inclusions, the tumour region was enriched with Au NPs at a concentration of 5.85 nM, which were modelled as a spherical subvolume of 3 mm radius within the tumour. Through simulations, it was concluded that the inclusion of Au NPs in the tumour site,  improve significantly the localization and heating intensity. This enhancement  allows for a more effective treatment outcome, particularly when MW HT is combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

These findings lay essential groundwork towards developing a clinical prototype for non-invasive hyperthermia treatment for breast cancer.

The paper was presented in a convened session organised by Dr Julian Bonello from the University of Malta and Dr Daniela Godinho from the University of Lisbon. The same two co-proposers will convene another session at the EUCAP 2026 conference, scheduled to take place from April 19 to 24, 2026, in Dublin, Ireland.

This work was supported by the Evolve Ltd. and is part of project “Hyper4B” which is financed by Xjenza Malta and the Scientific Technology Research Council (TÜBİTAK), through the Xjenza Malta - TÜBİTAK 2024 Joint Call for R&I projects.

This initiative is part of the PRIMA Programme supported by the European Union.