Specifically Targeted Cancer Therapy Activated By Light
As cancer becomes more common, cancer research has become the forefront of biological and chemical research. A new study that has been published within the last few months has found success in using a cancer-killing molecule activated by light to destroy cancer cells that would otherwise be resistant to chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is a drug treatment used to kill cells that are growing rapidly, which is why it is sometimes able to target rapidly growing cancer cells to treat cancer. This treatment is often given into a vein through a needle, whereby the drugs flow throughout your body to kill cancer cells—especially cells that are rapidly dividing. However, this cancer treatment doesn’t always work when cancer cells change or have properties that do not allow for the drug to interact with the cell, thus rendering the treatment ineffective. One specific type of chemotherapy is irinotecan—used for cancer that has spread to the colon or rectum. This medication has proven to be effective for many patients but may not always work for patients that have developed irinotecan resistance. Thus, finding alternative forms of cancer treatment is important since patients with the same disease may not always have the same issue. In the case of cancer, different patients may have different mutations in the DNA that causes cell division.
Chemotherapy is a drug treatment used to kill cells that are growing rapidly, which is why it is sometimes able to target rapidly growing cancer cells to treat cancer. This treatment is often given into a vein through a needle, whereby the drugs flow throughout your body to kill cancer cells—especially cells that are rapidly dividing. However, this cancer treatment doesn’t always work when cancer cells change or have properties that do not allow for the drug to interact with the cell, thus rendering the treatment ineffective. One specific type of chemotherapy is irinotecan—used for cancer that has spread to the colon or rectum. This medication has proven to be effective for many patients but may not always work for patients that have developed irinotecan resistance. Thus, finding alternative forms of cancer treatment is important since patients with the same disease may not always have the same issue. In the case of cancer, different patients may have different mutations in the DNA that causes cell division.
Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrollable cell division, leading to the formation of harmful tumors.
The newly discovered method called photodynamic therapy uses light from a laser to turn on a drug that kills cells. This is done by inserting a photosensitive (or sensitive to light) molecule intravenously (IV), which means through the vein. The molecule is then taken up by the cancer cell so that a two-photon light is able to hit and actually destroy the cancer cell. The two-photon light simply refers to having two tiny particles of light hit the cell at the same time. This discovery is important because of how the light must be able to penetrate the tissue while also having low energy so that damage to the tissue and healthy cells is limited. Conventional chemotherapy targets dividing cells while this new photodynamic therapy will be able to specifically kill cancer cells.
Because of its unique property of using a two-photon light, the method is able to precisely target a specific point. However, future research must be conducted to determine how effectively the light would be able to travel through human tissue. Light activation is also often limited by how dense the tissue is since light has difficulty penetrating through the skin. As such, studies must be conducted to ensure that this is a viable method for humans in terms of effectiveness and safety.
Although the results of this research could be important for future cancer treatment, the photosensitive molecule is still in its early stages. Researchers are beginning animal studies soon before it can be used in clinical trials for humans. Because research can take time, it will probably be a long time before this method would be available for use—even if it were to be successful.
The implications of this treatment could be important for physicians and patients despite the study’s current limitations. It may become a viable alternative to chemotherapy that may work for many patients and is a method that could work for different types of cancers. Having alternative forms of treatment will allow better outcomes for cancer patients in the long run.
Because of its unique property of using a two-photon light, the method is able to precisely target a specific point. However, future research must be conducted to determine how effectively the light would be able to travel through human tissue. Light activation is also often limited by how dense the tissue is since light has difficulty penetrating through the skin. As such, studies must be conducted to ensure that this is a viable method for humans in terms of effectiveness and safety.
Although the results of this research could be important for future cancer treatment, the photosensitive molecule is still in its early stages. Researchers are beginning animal studies soon before it can be used in clinical trials for humans. Because research can take time, it will probably be a long time before this method would be available for use—even if it were to be successful.
The implications of this treatment could be important for physicians and patients despite the study’s current limitations. It may become a viable alternative to chemotherapy that may work for many patients and is a method that could work for different types of cancers. Having alternative forms of treatment will allow better outcomes for cancer patients in the long run.
Featured Image Source: Olga Kononenko
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