Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Porto in Portugal have developed a revolutionary cancer treatment that destroys cancer cells with precision while leaving healthy tissue completely unharmed. Using a combination of LED light and microscopic flakes of tin – called SnOx nanoflakes – the new technique eliminated up to 92% of skin cancer cells in laboratory tests, offering hope for safer, more accessible cancer therapies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The breakthrough, published in ACS Nano<\/em>, marks a major advance in near-infrared photothermal therapy, a form of treatment that uses light to heat and kill cancer cells. Unlike chemotherapy or radiation, which can harm healthy tissues, this method is gentle, targeted, and could one day be administered even outside of hospital settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project is led by Professor Jean Anne Incorvia of UT Austin\u2019s Cockrell School of Engineering and Professor Artur Pinto of the University of Porto. Their collaboration was born through the UT Austin Portugal Program, an international science partnership that connects American and Portuguese researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur goal was to create a treatment that is not only effective but also safe and accessible,\u201d said Incorvia. \u201cWith the combination of LED light and SnOx nanoflakes, we\u2019ve developed a method to precisely target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pinto emphasized the accessibility of the new approach: \u201cFor skin cancers in particular, we envision that one day, treatment could move from the hospital to the patient\u2019s home. A portable device could be placed on the skin after surgery to irradiate and destroy any remaining cancer cells, reducing the risk of recurrence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The method replaces high-powered lasers\u2014typically used in photothermal therapy\u2014with cost-effective LED light. When the LED light hits the SnOx nanoflakes, it triggers a localized heating effect that kills cancer cells by thermal stress. In laboratory experiments, this heating destroyed 92% of skin cancer cells and 50% of colorectal cancer cells after just 30 minutes of exposure. Importantly, healthy skin cells were completely unaffected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These results demonstrate both the selectivity and safety of the technology, addressing one of the biggest challenges in modern cancer therapy: eliminating malignant cells without collateral damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The researchers\u2019 custom-built near-infrared LED heating system allowed them to observe the effects in real time. Under the microscope, green indicated living cells while red marked those destroyed by the light-activated tin flakes. Within half an hour, nearly all the cancer cells glowed red\u2014proof of their destruction\u2014while the surrounding healthy cells remained intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis selectivity is exactly what we hoped for,\u201d said Incorvia. \u201cIt shows that we can heat cancer cells to death without affecting neighboring healthy tissue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study also showed promise for treating colorectal cancer, killing half of those cells in the same time window, suggesting the therapy may be adaptable to a range of cancers with further research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer globally, and conventional treatments often leave scars, pain, or the risk of recurrence. This new light-based therapy could change that. Because it uses safe, inexpensive LED light rather than lasers or toxic chemicals, it could make treatment easier to administer\u2014especially in clinics with limited resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The researchers envision a portable LED-based device that patients could use at home following surgery to remove residual cancer cells, significantly lowering the chance of relapse. Such a system could revolutionize post-surgical care and make noninvasive therapy widely available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The team plans to expand its research to better understand the precise physics of how light and heat interact with the nanoflakes and to test other materials that might enhance the effect. They\u2019ve already received new funding through the UT Austin Portugal Program to develop an implant for breast cancer patients based on these findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCancer is still one of humanity\u2019s greatest challenges,\u201d Pinto said. \u201cOur work is one step toward treatments that are not only more effective but also more humane and accessible to all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the early results hold true in clinical testing, this approach could transform the global landscape of cancer care\u2014offering a painless, affordable, and remarkably precise alternative to today\u2019s harsh treatments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Safer, Smarter Way to Kill Cancer Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Porto in Portugal have developed a revolutionary cancer treatment that destroys cancer cells with precision while leaving healthy tissue completely unharmed. Using a combination of LED light and microscopic flakes of tin – called SnOx nanoflakes – the new technique eliminated up to 92% of skin cancer cells in laboratory tests, offering hope for safer, more accessible cancer therapies. The breakthrough, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancer-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7196"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7197,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7196\/revisions\/7197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Scientists Behind the Discovery<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How It Works<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Testing and Results<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Implications for Skin Cancer Treatment<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The Road Ahead<\/h4>\n\n\n\n