Cancer Phototherapy

Cancer Phototherapy

A study involving biologists and physicists from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) shows that it is possible to destroy human tumor cells in laboratory culture conditions, using a photovoltaic material volume properties. The procedure, which uses lithium niobate doped with iron (LiNbO3: Fe), has resulted in patent applications for the development of a drug against cancer phototherapy.

The figure shows the effects of exposure of human tumor cells (HeLa) to the Photovoltaic Effect in volume (EFV). Both photographs show the same group of cells before (A) and after (B) of fototratamiento. In (A) shows the cells growing on the crystal of lithium niobate doped with iron before being exposed to visible light. In (B) shows the same cells that have suffered severe structural damage after illumination with visible light. Bubbles (rounded dark structures) on the cell surface indicates that the cells have undergone a process of death called necrosis. The arrows indicate the same cell in both images to facilitate location.