(Press-News.org) BUFFALO, N.Y. – Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective treatment for easily accessible tumors such as oral and skin cancer.
But the procedure, which uses lasers to activate special drugs called photosensitizing agents, isn't adept at fighting cancer deep inside the body. Thankfully, that's changing due to new technology that could bring PDT into areas of the body which were previously inaccessible.
Described May 11 in the journal Nature Photonics, the approach involves using near-infrared beams of light that, upon penetrating deep into the body, are converted into visible light that activates the drug and destroys the tumor.
"We expect this will vastly expand the applications for an effective cancer phototherapy that's already in use," said co-author Tymish Ohulchanskyy, PhD, University at Buffalo research associate professor and deputy director for photomedicine at the university's Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics (ILPB).
Doctors have used PDT to treat cancer for decades. Cancer cells absorb the drug, which is delivered to the tumor via the bloodstream or locally. Visible light is then applied to the site, which causes the drug to react with oxygen and create a burst of free radicals that kill the tumor.
Unfortunately, visible light does not penetrate tissue well. Conversely, near-infrared light penetrates tissue well but doesn't activate the drugs efficiently.
To solve this problem, some researchers are developing drugs that absorb near-infrared light. This method is limited, however, because stable and efficient near-infrared absorbing photosenzitizers are notoriously difficult to synthesize.
The UB-led team took a different approach, which uses the tumor's natural environment to tune the light into the necessary wavelengths.
For example, the near-infrared laser beam interacts with the natural protein collagen, which is found in connective tissues. The interaction changes the near-infrared light to visible light, a process known as second harmonic generation. Likewise, natural proteins and lipids within the cells interact with near-infrared laser light and change it to visible light through another process called four-wave mixing.
Thus, visible light can be generated in tumors deep inside the body, and it can be absorbed by the drug. This activates the drug, which then destroys the tumor.
The procedure has numerous advantages, said the study's leader, Paras Prasad, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor in chemistry, physics, electrical engineering, and medicine at UB, and the ILPB's executive director.
"There are no long-term side effects for PDT, it's less invasive than surgery, and we can very precisely target cancer cells," he said. "With our approach, PDT is enriched to provide another tool that doctors can use to alleviate the pain of millions of people suffering from cancer."
UB has applied for a patent to protect the team's discovery, and the university's Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (UB STOR) is discussing potential license agreements with companies interested in commercializing it.
The research is a collaboration between ILPB, Shenzhen University in China and Korea University in Korea, with which Prasad is affiliated. It was supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Air Force of Scientific Research. Other co-authors are Aliaksandr Kachynski, Artem Pliss, Andrey Kuzmin and Alexander Baev, all PhDs and researchers within ILPB, and Junle Qu, PhD, Shenzhen University.
INFORMATION:
Going beyond the surface
New tech could take light-based cancer treatment deep inside the body
2014-05-15
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
How octopuses don't tie themselves in knots
2014-05-15
VIDEO:
An octopus is treating its own freshly amputated arm in a strange and exploratory manner that is not commonly seen with respect to food items. Note the 'startle' response of...
Click here for more information.
An octopus's arms are covered in hundreds of suckers that will stick to just about anything, with one important exception. Those suckers generally won't grab onto the octopus itself; otherwise, the impressively flexible animals would quickly find themselves all tangled ...
First test of pluripotent stem cell therapy in monkeys is a success
2014-05-15
Researchers have shown for the first time in an animal that is more closely related to humans that it is possible to make new bone from stem-cell-like induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) made from an individual animal's own skin cells. The study in monkeys reported in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports on May 15th also shows that there is some risk that those iPSCs could seed tumors, but that unfortunate outcome appears to be less likely than studies in immune-compromised mice would suggest.
"We have been able to design an animal model for testing of pluripotent ...
Mice with MS-like condition walk again after human stem cell treatment
2014-05-15
(SALT LAKE CITY) - Mice severely disabled by a condition similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) were able to walk less than two weeks following treatment with human neural stem cells. The finding, which uncovers potential new avenues for treating MS, will be published online on May 15, 2014, in the journal Stem Cell Reports.
In striking contrast to active, healthy mice, those with an MS-like condition must be fed by hand because they cannot stand long enough to eat and drink on their own. When scientists transplanted human neural stem cells into the MS mice, they expected ...
Not just a pretty face, although that helps female politicians on election day
2014-05-15
Female politicians' success can be predicted by their facial features, especially in conservative states where women with more feminine faces tend to do better at the ballot box, a Dartmouth College-led study finds.
The results don't mean a supermodel will win the White House, but they do suggest women's electoral success requires a delicate balance between voters' perception of traditional femininity and political competence. The study appears in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. A PDF of the study is available on request. Here is a video animation ...
Stem cell therapy shows promise for MS in mouse model
2014-05-15
LA JOLLA, CA—May 15, 2014—Mice crippled by an autoimmune disease similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) regained the ability to walk and run after a team of researchers led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), University of Utah and University of California (UC), Irvine implanted human stem cells into their injured spinal cords.
Remarkably, the mice recovered even after their bodies rejected the human stem cells. "When we implanted the human cells into mice that were paralyzed, they got up and started walking a couple of weeks later, and they completely ...
Genetic tracking identifies cancer stem cells in human patients
2014-05-15
The gene mutations driving cancer have been tracked for the first time in patients back to a distinct set of cells at the root of cancer – cancer stem cells.
The international research team, led by scientists at the University of Oxford and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, studied a group of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes – a malignant blood condition which frequently develops into acute myeloid leukaemia.
The researchers say their findings, reported in the journal Cancer Cell, offer conclusive evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells.
The concept ...
Combination therapy a potential strategy for treating Niemann Pick disease
2014-05-15
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (May 15, 2014) – By studying nerve and liver cells grown from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a potential dual-pronged approach to treating Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease, a rare but devastating genetic disorder.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), approximately 1 in 150,000 children born are afflicted with NPC, the most common variant of Niemann-Pick. Children with NPC experience abnormal accumulation of cholesterol in their liver and nerve cells, leading to ...
'Bystander' chronic infections thwart development of immune cell memory
2014-05-15
PHILADELPHIA – Studies of vaccine programs in the developing world have revealed that individuals with chronic infections such as malaria and hepatitis tend to be less likely to develop the fullest possible immunity benefits from vaccines for unrelated illnesses. The underlying mechanisms for that impairment, however, are unclear, and distinguishing these so-called "bystander" effects on priming the immune system to fight future assaults versus development of immunological memory has been challenging.
A team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania ...
E-cigarette awareness goes up, as (apparently) so does skepticism
2014-05-15
PHILADELPHIA (May 15, 2014) – Americans are unquestionably more aware of e-cigarettes, those vapor-emitting alternatives to tobacco cigarettes, according to a national survey. Yet, at the same time, the belief that e-cigarettes are safer than traditional smokes may be starting to diminish.
A national survey of 3,630 adults found that 77 percent of the respondents have heard of e-cigarettes; that's way up from 16 percent just five years ago. But the perception that e-cigarettes are actually less harmful than tobacco cigarettes among current smokers decreased slightly, ...
Protein sharpens salmonella needle for attack
2014-05-15
A tiny nanoscale syringe is Salmonella's weapon. Using this, the pathogen injects its molecular agents into the host cells and manipulates them to its own advantage. A team of scientists at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel demonstrate in their current publication in Cell Reports that a much investigated protein, which plays a role in Salmonella metabolism, is required to activate these needles and makes the replication and spread of Salmonella throughout the whole body possible.
The summer months are the prime time for Salmonella infections. Such an infection ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Knee-d for excellence: New regional training hub keeps surgeons sharp for ageing population
The Lancet: Billions lack access to healthy diets as food systems drive climate and health crises, but sustainable, equitable solutions are within reach, says new EAT-Lancet report
Countries with highest reported levels of hearing loss have lowest use of hearing aids
Early medical abortion at home up to 12 weeks is safe, effective, and comparable to hospital care
New approach to gravitational wave detection opens the Milli-Hz Frontier
Rice membrane extracts lithium from brines with greater speed, less waste
Exercise lowers disease risk. This researcher wants to understand how
Hurricane evacuation patterns differ based on where the storm hits
Stem Cell Reports welcomes new members to its Editorial Board
Researchers develop molecular qubits that communicate at telecom frequencies
Mayo Clinic awarded up to $40 million by ARPA-H for pioneering air safety research
People with Down syndrome have early neuroinflammation
CNIO researchers create the “human repairome”, a catalogue of DNA “scars” that will help define personalized cancer treatments
Strengthening biosecurity screening for genes that encode proteins of concern
Global wildfire disasters are growing in frequency and cost
Wildfire management: Reactive response and recovery, or proactive mitigation and prevention
Phosphine detected in the atmosphere of a low-temperature brown dwarf
Scientists develop rapid and scalable platform for in planta directed evolution
New tiny prehistoric fish species unlocks origins of catfish and carp
Plant microbiota: War and peace under the surface
Fossilized ear bones rewrite the history of freshwater fish
Detection of phosphine in a brown dwarf atmosphere raises more questions
USF study: Ancient plankton hint at steadier future for ocean life
MIT researchers find a simple formula could guide the design of faster-charging, longer-lasting batteries
Towards efficient room-temperature fluorine recovery from fluoropolymers
Mapping RNA-protein 'chats' could uncover new treatments for cancer and brain disease
The hidden burden of solitude: How social withdrawal influences the adolescent brain
Kidney disease study reveals unexpected marker
AI wrote nearly a quarter of corporate press releases in 2024
The ‘big bad wolf’ fears the human ‘super predator’ – for good reason
[Press-News.org] Going beyond the surfaceNew tech could take light-based cancer treatment deep inside the body