Mouse Light Therapy A mouse with two implanted tumors received photoimmunotherapy treatment. The tumor on the mouse's left side (at the bottom in this image) was covered up, while the tumor on the right (top) was treated with a PIT agent. National Cancer Institute

A new, finely tuned light-based treatment kills cancer cells in mice without harming the tissue around them, and could conceivably used to treat a wide range of human cancers, researchers say. The therapy is much more precise than other light-therapy methods attempted to date, and it has the potential to replace chemotherapy and radiation.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute coupled cancer-specific antibodies with a heat-sensitive dye that damages cells when exposed to specific wavelengths of light. The antibodies recognize proteins on the exterior of cancer cells, so they would easily and accurately seek out their quarry, leaving healthy cells alone. Once bound to the cancer, the antibodies’ piggyback heat-sensitive molecule could be activated to do its job.

Led by Hisataka Kobayashi, researchers worked with several photosensitizers (light-activated molecules) before settling on one called IR700. It activates in near-infrared light and has the added bonus of fluorescence, so the researchers could easily watch its progress. They attached it to three cancer antibodies that bind to three different proteins: HER2, which is over-expressed by some breast cancers; EGFR, which is over-expressed by some lung, pancreatic, and colon cancers; and PSMA, which is over-expressed by prostate cancers.

Working with mice that had been implanted with tumors, the researchers say the cancer cells bound to the protein antibodies, and when they were exposed to infrared light, the cells died. Even a single dose of IR light made a significant difference, as the image at the top shows. Infrared light has the added benefit of penetrating several centimeters into tissue, much deeper than other wavelengths, the researchers say.

One key thing about this therapy is its selectivity, the researchers say. While other light-therapy methods can damage healthy tissue, just like radiation and chemotherapy can, this method only targets cells that are over-expressing proteins associated with certain types of cancer.

Much more work needs to be done to verify that this can work in humans — for instance, the breast cancer protein used in this study is only present in less than half of breast cancers — but the team says their method shows promise. The work was published online Sunday in Nature Medicine.

[National Cancer Institute via Technology Review]

15 Comments

awesome. i have a question for the virologist's of popsci. if one were to mix the hiv virus and cancer can we have a cure for both? they are opposites right?

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The people of the world only divide into two kinds, One sort with brains who hold no religion, The other with religion and no brain.

- Abu-al-Ala al-Marri

well, cancer isn't really a virus at all, it's a mutation that that causes rapid and unchecked cellular reproduction (tumors) and HIV is a virus that attacks white blood cells and lymph nodes, rather than other cells. their not opposites.

although, that gives me an idea; engineering a virus that only takes out cancer cells...

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why learn from your own mistakes, when you could learn from the mistakes of others?
“The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible” -Albert Einstein

@-my name here-
yes engineering hiv and "fusing" it with another virus and altering its genetic makeup could maybe fight off and eliminate cancer. but i don't know why but that scenario from I Am Legend comes to mind.

_________________
The people of the world only divide into two kinds, One sort with brains who hold no religion, The other with religion and no brain.

- Abu-al-Ala al-Marri

When I first saw this my mind went to Dr Royal Rife
and his frequency based treatments.
So I am left feeling confused, these ideas were pioneered years ago and were suppressed by past and present Allopathic institutions.
It leaves me wondering if the technology was allowed to be developed, what would have occurred...

What you guys are talking about is called an Oncolytic Virus. They are actually doing work on such viruses now. I think some are even in Phase 3 testing. Back in college (Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech) I put together a presentation for one of my classes on the idea of combining some of the characteristics of HIV that hide it from the immune system to an adenovirus programmed to attack the cancer cells. The problems they are working to overcome is creating a virus that solely attacks the malignant cells and is ignored by the body's immune system.

Anyway, if you want to learn more about it, go look up "Oncolytic Virus".

...and ignore the grammar mistakes. I clicked the wrong button while previewing.

@Fear The Wabbit,

thanks for the information. i did not know that. i will do research on it.

_________________
The people of the world only divide into two kinds, One sort with brains who hold no religion, The other with religion and no brain.

- Abu-al-Ala al-Marri

There are already herbal cures for cancer why are we devoting more time to this instead of just swallowing some plants?

@Jedi….Canadian Dr.’s have already done this. By modifying HIV to attack cancer cells instead of white blood cells. They have cured cancer in many patients, but can’t get funding or approval for their work.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44090512/ns/health-cancer/t/new-leukemia-treatment-exceeds-wildest-expectations/

The link is not to the Canadian university that did the original work 2 years ago

There are many ways to cure cancer, chemo is not one of them.

@Aldrons Last Hope

im pretty sure that the world governments don't want this to see the light of day because they want to continue pumping their patients with expensive drugs that do nothing but make the patients sicker. there is big money in the pharmaceutical market. thanks for the link. i shake my head at the sheep denying the fact that we have cures for cancer and aids.

_________________
The people of the world only divide into two kinds, One sort with brains who hold no religion, The other with religion and no brain.

- Abu-al-Ala al-Marri

Really? And you expect me to believe that this went unnoticed for the decades of Modern Physics and Cancer Treatments? We've known about this for years, they just cant make any money off you if you're cured. If you believe any differently, you need to open your eyes.

So I'm more enraged about this article than pleased. Fucking snakes.

@JediMinDSet couldn’t agree with you more. They’ve actually found many ways to attack cancer.

This guy cures cancer in patients that the medical establishments have told to go home and wait for death. He is a PHD & MD, but the FDA keep trying to shut him down, the only reason they didn’t is because every time there is a hearing his patients show up (many of them terminally ill children, or terminally ill survivors) and beg and plead with the court. Yet the FDA keeps bringing law suits, it’s disgusting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be1ihuZNg84

Honestly don’t EVER contribute to pink ribbon campaigns. This money is used to study how to INCREASE cancer and spread it to everyone. Cancer rates keep going up year after year. 50 years ago Dr.’s would come from 100’s of miles to see a case of a child with cancer, today it is common place. All the while they are getting richer and richer.

We have know about this for years. I dont know why it is just starting to be " discovered " now.

@Aldrons Last Hope,

the fda is a Bs organization that only care about money. and dont give a crap about peoples health. and i personally never contribute to any bs campaigns. i wonder how many hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into pink ribbon campaigns and others like it.. because i dont see it being used for any good. the governments want cancer to stay with humans forever as a means of population control. its sickening. thanks for the link. i will watch it. and i will send it to others.

_________________
The people of the world only divide into two kinds, One sort with brains who hold no religion, The other with religion and no brain.

- Abu-al-Ala al-Marri

@JediMindset cool thanks,



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