• Monument@lemmy.sdf.org
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    10 months ago

    A chemical that can’t target cancer cells can be triggered to vibrate in such a way that it destroys cell membranes by a light source that attenuates by about 90% over 1mm of flesh (down to 1% of the original strength at 2mm).

    If they could target just cancer cells, it would work for some skin cancers.
    Infrared and near infrared transmit a good amount of heat. I imagine that even if they figure out the targeting issue, unless the light to vibration process is highly efficient, the point at which the light source is just burning the patient’s flesh will be reached long before there’s anything but a limited use case.

    I guess the mechanism is good to know about, but it’s unlikely to turn into a cure for cancer.

  • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
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    10 months ago

    i asked this in another thread, how do they get the novel molecule to attach to only cancer cells. apparently they havent gotten that far yet.

    • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
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      10 months ago

      Cancer cells divide faster than other cells, meaning they have some structural differences. Most drugs (not sure about this one) exploit this difference.