Researchers Have Detected How To Use Light To Fully Destroy Cancer Cells

Not all of us can afford cancer treatments, especially when they don’t help to cure the fatal disease entirely. Two of the most well-known treatments are immunotherapy and chemotherapy. However, the good news for patients is that researchers have discovered how to use light to cure this disease 100%.

The researchers from the University of Warwick, Heriot-Watt University and colleagues in Switzerland, France, and China teamed up with each other to find out a new therapy that creates a cancer-killing compound by flashing light and activating iridium.

In common treatments, oxygen is a compulsory factor. However, lots of cancer cells tend to lack oxygen (hypoxic) - a state in which blood is not supplied enough. To deal with this issue, the researchers have invented the iridium compound to remove these hazardous cells completely, even when the oxygen level indicates low.

When flashing the light, they can control the Iridium compound to attack NADH or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide that provides energy for these cells. As such, the light functions as a catalyst to destroy the co-enzyme or convert its current state into the oxidation state. As a result, the power source of the patient’s tumor is reduced, leading to the removal of cancer cells.

This new treatment shows high flexibility and therefore, it is a good option for those who suffer from cancer relating to oesophagus, skin, brain, lung or bladder. Peter Sadler, a Professor of the Department of Chemistry, the University of Warwick said:

In addition, the researchers also point out that when cancer cells are destroyed, they can turn their chemistry into another state that can produce an immune reaction for the patient. It is called immunotherapeutic response. In other words, the patent will be totally immune to this disease.