Researchers at Northeastern University have identified two proteins abundant on drug-resistant ovarian cancer cells that become receptive to chemotherapy when treated with light.
Published in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology, the research findings represent promising progress in the treatment of one of the most deadly forms of cancer. By targeting cancer cells with photo-sensitive antibodies and then shining light on them, researchers have made previously untreatable tumors receptive to drugs.
“The cells that are exposed to subtle doses of light, they accumulate some photo damage and become more susceptible to chemotherapy,” said Bryan Spring, associate professor of physics. “It’s a missing piece in oncology. Photo medicine is very complementary to chemo and immunotherapies.”
Spring’s co-investigators included Northeastern physics graduate students Sudip Timilsina and Anish Raju Amara and Rafay Abu, who is assistant director of Northeastern’s Mass Spectrometry Facility.
Read more from Northeastern Global News.
Getty Images
