SC-MPH device for thermal dose painting during cancer treatment*

Thermal therapies can promote immunogenic cell death, but clinical benefit requires selective heating while protecting non-target tissue. Existing systems often lack this feature. Magnetic nanoparticle thermal therapy (MNTT) is attractive because heat forms only where particles are present and the alternating magnetic field (AMF) penetrates tissue efficiently. However, translation of MNTT is slowed by limited spatial selectivity, uncertainty in particle distribution, and insufficient real-time thermal-dose control. In this study, we present a scalable, spatially confined magnetic particle heating (SC-MPH) platform that allows selective heating for thermal dose painting during MNTT. A static magnetic field (SMF) is superimposed on the AMF to create a field-free region (FFR). Infrared and GaAs fiber-optic probes provide surface and deep temperatures, and pulsed heating enables reasonable control over thermal dose delivery. The AMF unit delivers 205–215 [kHz], and a SMF stage tunes FFR position and size. Data acquisition and control is achieved using National Instrument hardware, with a LabVIEW GUI supporting pulsed heating with automatic, dynamically adjustable FFR. Verification included field mapping, dynamic FFR in a three-vial phantom, and a 3D-printed liver phantom with three HCC-like nodules being heated, and a fourth non-heating zone representing particle diffusion in healthy tissue. Results show selective heating at sites, protection of non-target regions, and safe operation.