Rice University scientists discovered a novel way to fight cancer by using what they call “molecular jackhammers,” molecules vibrating when they are catalyzed by light.
The 2023 study, published in Nature, reported that a “50% tumor-free efficacy in mouse models for melanoma was achieved.”
“The method had a 99 percent efficiency against lab cultures of human melanoma cells, and half of the mice with melanoma tumors became cancer-free after treatment,” Rice University stated, then explained:
The researchers found that the atoms of a small dye molecule used for medical imaging, called an aminocyanine molecule, can vibrate in unison ⎯ forming what is known as a plasmon ⎯ when stimulated by near-infrared light , causing the cell membrane of cancerous cells to rupture.
“It is a whole new generation of molecular machines that we call molecular jackhammers,” Rice chemist…
