A method is discovered that can destroy cancer cells by generating intense vibrations just by applying near-infrared light

When a research team from Rice University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas stimulated cancer cells with near-infrared light , the molecules in the cancer cells vibrated in sync, causing the cancer cells' membranes to break apart. They report that they have discovered a way to destroy it.

Molecular jackhammers eradicate cancer cells by vibronic-driven action | Nature Chemistry
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-023-01383-y

Molecular jackhammers' 'good vibrations' eradicate cancer cells | Rice News | News and Media Relations | Rice University
https://news.rice.edu/news/2023/molecular-jackhammers-good-vibrations-eradicate-cancer-cells

The key to the reported method is a molecule called aminocyanine. Aminocyanine is a synthetic dye used in bioimaging that is stable even in water and is a substance used to detect cancer cells.

When aminocyanine attached to the cancer cell membrane is stimulated by near-infrared light, it vibrates, producing collective oscillating quanta called `` plasmons '' that destroy the cancer cell membrane. The method can destroy human melanoma cells in laboratory cultures with 99% efficiency, and half of the mice with melanoma tumors had their cancer cells gone after receiving the published treatment. is. Rice University professor James Tour, a member of the research team, calls this method 'molecular jackhammer.'

Ayala Orozco, a member of the research team, said, ``The molecular plasmon we identified has a nearly symmetrical structure with an arm on one side.This arm does not contribute to the movement of the plasmon, but it It helps to fix the lipids in the lipids of the cell membrane.'

As for the method of physically destroying cancer cells, there is a method that uses visible light and the ``Ferringa-type molecular motor'' devised by Dr. Bernard Feringa , who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2016. However, this molecular jackhammer seems to be able to process a million times faster than a Ferringa-type molecular motor.

In addition, Ferringa-type molecular motors require visible light, but while visible light can only reach a depth of 5 mm inside the body, near-infrared light can reach a depth of 10 cm inside the body. Therefore, it is expected that cancers in bones and organs that are difficult to remove even with surgery can be treated without damaging surrounding tissues.

Dr. Orozco said, ``The molecular jackhammer discovered in this study is a new way to treat cancer using mechanical force on a molecular scale.'' are listed as future research topics.