The Amateur Scientists Who Might Cure Cancer—From Their Basements

John Kanzius ERIE, Pennsylvania

Using his wife’s pie pans and a couple of hot dogs, John Kanzius, 64, a retired business owner and radio technician, may have discovered a new treatment for some cancers. When nanoparti­cles made from gold are injected into tumors, they attach to cancer cells. The Kanzius RF Machine transmits focused radio waves to these nanoparticles, which respond by releasing heat and incinerating infected cells while leaving the surrounding healthy cells intact.

Kanzius’s research was inspired by his own struggle with chemo­therapy treatments in 2003 and 2004 while battling leukemia. In 2005 his work gained the attention of the prestigious cancer research centers at the University of Pittsburgh and the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Both facilities are now testing the treatment on animals. So far, tests have successfully destroyed localized tumors known as hepatic VX2 carcinomas in rabbits.

David Gowen Oakland, California