Microwave thermal supercharging therapy enables selective tumor ablation via low-power radio frequency-responsive nanotopographies.

Abstract

The lack of accuracy and penetration significantly hinder the clinical use of microwave (MW) thermotherapy. To address this issue, we propose a microwave thermal supercharging system (MTSS) featuring a miniature meta surface grid waveguide aperture antenna and MW-chaperone GaMOF-Co/Ni nanotopographies (GCN NTs) as MW absorbing materials. The meta surface grid waveguide aperture antenna, designed with filled meta surfaces, offers a reduced size, constrained MW beams, and focused energy for precise tumor MW thermotherapy. The MW-chaperone GCN NTs with multiple heterogeneous interfaces and magnetic structures were developed to enhance the dielectric and magnetic loss characteristics and improve MW absorption at medical frequencies (>90 %). Enhancing MW energy delivery to boost thermal conversion efficiency through meta surface grid waveguide aperture antenna innovation is analogous to increasing the air pressure in an engine's intake manifold. This system significantly improved the effectiveness of MW thermotherapy, achieving a 93 % inhibition and 100 % survival <i>in vivo</i> under clinically simulated deep-tissue conditions. By transforming microwave fields into programmable, tissue-specific therapeutic heat, this MTSS serves as a modular and device-compatible platform that redefines noninvasive oncology as a precision, energy-directed strategy with scalable clinical potential.