Drug-Free Wearable Device Reduces Tumor Growth in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Models
A drug-free wearable device that generates low-intensity electric fields reduced tumor growth and spread in preclinical models of triple-negative breast cancer. The treatment appeared to boost immune activity around tumors and will be tested in an upcoming NIH-sponsored clinical trial.
Low-intensity electric fields delivered by a wearable, drug-free device reduced tumor growth and spread in preclinical models of triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease, according to new research from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). The treatment also appeared to make the area around tumors more active against cancer. The findings were published in the June 2026 issue of the journal Breast Cancer: Targets and Therapy.
Triple-negative breast cancer can be hard to treat because it lacks the hormone or protein targets found in some other breast cancers. It also has a higher risk of coming back or spreading, and chemotherapy remains an important treatment for many patients. The disease often spreads to the lungs and brain, making it particularly difficult to treat.
This new approach uses low-intensity electric fields with the potential to be delivered from outside the body using a wearable device, unlike existing electric field-based treatments that require contact electrodes. The study's co-corresponding author clarified that the current does not run through the body. Instead, the wearable device generates low-intensity fields that interact with cancer cells in a controlled way.
Researchers found that the electric fields affected several cancer-related processes, including how cancer cells move, spread and use energy. In cases where breast cancer had spread to the lungs, the treatment also reduced immune-suppressing cells and increased cancer-fighting immune cells. One unexpected finding was that the electric fields did not appear to act only on cancer cells; they also seemed to change the area around the tumor in a way that may help the body recognize and fight cancer.
The current findings are based on preclinical models, not patients. OSUCCC – James researchers partnered with EMBioSys, Inc to develop a wearable investigational device, which will be tested in an upcoming National Institutes of Health-sponsored human clinical trial. The study's co-corresponding author said the idea that a wearable, low-powered device could one day help treat breast cancer as part of a patient’s daily life is very compelling, while noting that the technology is still in an early stage and clinical testing is the next step.