An entirely new form of cancer treatment has been discovered that could eradicate tumors and replace chemotherapy.
scientists of rice university Texas called the method a “new generation” of molecular machines, known as “molecular jackhammers” (MJH).
This occurs through the use of cyanine dyes similar to those used in medical imaging. Cyanine dyes attach to cancer cells and are stimulated by infrared light. Infrared light can penetrate deep into the human body without causing any damage.
This causes the cells to vibrate, tearing their membranes and destroying the cancer.
“Our technique may have fewer side effects compared to chemotherapy,” said Ciceron Ayala Orozco, lead author of the study, adding that it is most effective against solid tumors.
“This molecule can be used in safe doses with no toxicity on its own, so the molecule destroys tumors only when near-infrared radiation is applied to the tumor area. Therefore, the damage is selective to the tumor area. and the rest of the body remains safe.”
Human trials will not be conducted for many years yet, as Food and Drug Administration guidelines must be followed.
“Our results so far are a proof of concept demonstrating that tumors can be removed with this technique,” Ayala-Orozco said.
“However, this does not directly translate into the expected outcomes for patients.”
Human trials are still a long way off, but early results in mice are very promising.
When this new technique was tested in mice with melanoma, 50% of the rodents were free of cancer.
They believe that even better results can be achieved if testing and dosing are optimized.
Dr. James Tour, a chemist at Rice University, said MJH has “enough energy to disrupt cell membranes.”
“It is very rare that this aggressive cancer can be cured within seven months and never come back 'again,'” he said. “And this was not optimized.”
When tested in mice, their method was found to be 99 percent effective against human tumors grown in the flanks of mice, and 100 percent effective in dose-dependent/optimized studies. Ta.
“Inject MJH and wait 30 minutes. Shine a light for 10 minutes,” Dr. Tour said.
“How hard is that?”
Calling this nanomechanical therapy, Dr. Tour said the research adds a “new treatment modality.”
“It's tough to expand your arsenal like that,” he said.
Scientists at Rice University are currently studying whether this technology can be combined with immunotherapy, with the hope of using it to find the “last traces of cancer” in a person's body. ing.
