LED Light and Tiny Tin Flakes Kill Cancer Cells While Protecting Healthy Cells
A new cancer treatment combines LED light and tiny tin flakes to neutralize cancer cells.
A new method that could revolutionize cancer treatment neutralizes cancer cells by combining LED light with tiny tin flakes (SnOx nanoflakes); all without harming healthy cells or requiring the severe side effects of chemotherapy.
This innovation is the result of an international collaboration between the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Porto under the UT Austin-Portugal Program. The researchers aim to eliminate the obstacles currently facing laser-based light therapies, such as high cost, the need for specialized laboratories, and the risk of damaging healthy tissue. The affordability and accessibility of LED technology could make this method much more widely available.
Prof. Jean Anne Incorvia, a University of Texas faculty member and one of the project’s leaders, describes their goals as follows:“We wanted a treatment that is as effective as it is safe and accessible to everyone. By combining LED light and SnOx nanoflakes, we’ve developed a method that precisely targets cancer cells without affecting healthy cells.”
Striking results in cancer cells
According to the latest study published in ACS Nano, the treatment, with just a 30-minute application:
- It succeeded in eliminating 92% of skin cancer cells,
- and 50% of colorectal cancer cells.
More importantly, healthy human skin cells were not damaged during this process. This finding suggests that the method could be both selective and safe.
Destroying cancer by heating it with light
Cancer remains the second leading cause of death worldwide. For this reason, researchers are placing great importance on alternative treatments. One of the most promising methods is near-infrared photothermal therapy: a light-based treatment that kills cancer cells by heating them to high temperatures.
The study by UT Austin and the University of Porto focuses on developing a LED-based version of this approach that is more affordable and suitable for widespread use.
The Future: Treatment That Can Be Taken Home from the Hospital
The researchers have two major goals:
- To better understand how light generates heat and the effects of this process on cells.
- To discover new catalyst materials that could be more effective.
There are also plans to develop devices that clinicians and patients can easily use.
Project leader Dr. Artur Pinto from the University of Porto summarizes the technology’s future as follows:“Our goal is to make this treatment accessible everywhere—especially in regions without specialized equipment. We believe that one day, especially for skin cancers, treatment will move out of the hospital and into the patient’s home.”
Researchers predict that a small device implanted in the skin after surgery could eliminate remaining cancer cells through radiation, thereby reducing the risk of recurrence.
Incorvia and Pinto, who came together in 2021 as part of the UT Austin-Portugal Program, have continued to make significant breakthroughs that will redefine the role of two-dimensional materials in cancer treatment.