‘Molecular jackhammers’ can rupture melanoma cells’ membrane, study shows
Source: Phys.Org, December 2023
The Beach Boys’ iconic hit single “Good Vibrations" takes on a whole new layer of meaning thanks to a recent discovery by Rice University scientists and collaborators, who have uncovered a way to destroy cancer cells by using the ability of some molecules to vibrate strongly when stimulated by light.
The researchers found that the atoms of a small dye molecule used for medical imaging 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. According to the study published in Nature Chemistry, the method had a 99% efficiency against lab cultures of human melanoma cells, and half of the mice with melanoma tumors became cancer-free after treatment.
“It is a whole new generation of molecular machines that we call molecular jackhammers," said Rice chemist James Tour, whose lab has previously used nanoscale compounds endowed with a light-activated paddlelike chain of atoms that spins continually in the same direction to drill through the outer membrane of infectious bacteria, cancer cells and treatment-resistant fungi.