Cancer-fighting implant shows promise in treating melanoma, pancreatic and colorectal tumors. Rice-led study serves as foundation for FDA investigational new drug application and emerging new company to launch from RBL LLC. Veiseh’s team at Rice University has created an implant that functions like a “cytokine factory,” delivering IL-12 — a powerful immune-stimulating molecule — directly into the tumor environment. This approach boosts the body’s ability to fight cancer while avoiding the severe side effects usually associated with systemic IL-12 therapy.