An immunologist at the University of Rochester and his team have figured out a way to use light to energize human immune cells so they’ll destroy cancer cells.
The latest issue of Newsweek has an article about Dr. Minsoo Kim, who drew inspiration from algae and the molecular mechanism it uses to find light and photosynthesize nutrients from it. That “channelrhodopsin” molecule, discovered in the early 2000s, can also defeat the mechanism cancer cells use to protect themselves from the body’s immune system.
They studied mice with melanoma, first giving them immune system T-Cells infused with the molecule. Each mouse was implanted with a tiny LED light chip that would focus light on their tumors. The T-Cells that were dosed with light overcame the immune suppression of the cancer cells and killed them, shrinking the tumors.
A patent is pending on the technology, and Dr. Kim hopes to begin human trials soon.