Scientists are close to creating a new generation of light-activated cancer therapies that will be highly targeted and more effective than the latest cancer immunotherapies.
According to the research paper published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, this new generation of treatments works by turning on embedded LED lights near the tumor, which will then activate a specific type of drug.
The team from the University of East Anglia (UEA) suggests that these therapies will be highly targeted and more effective than the latest immunotherapy for cancer.
The team worked to design parts of the disease-fighting antibodies that fuse with their target and are also activated by light.
Basically, antibodies can be activated to attack cancer cells by shining lights that can be implanted at the tumor site inside the body. This would allow cancer treatment to be more efficient and targeted.
Scientists point out that the treatment will work on cancers such as melanoma, or where there is a solid tumor, but not for blood cancers such as leukemia.
