2025-10-20T15:30:03Z

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Imagine a world where cancer treatments are painless and effective; a groundbreaking partnership between The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Porto is making that dream a reality. Researchers have developed a revolutionary cancer therapy that utilizes LED light and ultra-thin flakes of tin to target and eliminate cancer cells while safeguarding the surrounding healthy tissue. This innovative approach leaves behind the painful side effects typically associated with traditional chemotherapy and invasive treatments, offering new hope for patients everywhere.

Thanks to the UT Austin Portugal Program, this collaboration aims to make light-based cancer therapies not just effective but accessible and affordable. Current cancer treatments can be prohibitively expensive, relying on costly materials and intricate lab setups, often at the expense of patients’ well-being. Enter the game-changer: by harnessing the power of LEDs and a new material called "SnOx nanoflakes" (where "Sn" is the chemical symbol for tin), researchers have created a safer alternative that could revolutionize cancer care.

Led by Professor Jean Anne Incorvia from the Cockrell School of Engineering, the research team has achieved astonishing results. In a study published in ACS Nano, their LED-driven treatment obliterated an impressive 92% of skin cancer cells and 50% of colorectal cancer cells after just 30 minutes of exposure, all while leaving healthy human skin cells unscathed. This precision not only demonstrates the method’s effectiveness but also its potential to transform the landscape of cancer treatment.

As cancer continues to rank as the second-leading cause of death globally, there’s an urgent need for safer, less invasive therapies. Current methods often come with severe side effects that patients can’t escape. The UT Austin-Portugal team’s approach is rooted in near-infrared photothermal therapy, a technique that uses light to heat and destroy cancer cells without the need for surgery or toxic drugs. Their focus now is to deepen the understanding of how light and heat interact in this process and to explore additional materials that could further enhance the therapy's effectiveness.

But what’s even more exciting is the vision for the future: making this technology available to patients everywhere, especially in areas with limited access to specialized healthcare. According to lead researcher Artur Pinto, one day we might see portable devices that allow patients to complete their treatments in the comfort of their homes. Just picture a small device placed on your skin after surgery, radiating light to annihilate any lingering cancer cells, significantly reducing the chances of recurrence.

This stellar collaboration first blossomed in 2021 and has only grown stronger since. The team’s recent funding boost aims to develop implants for breast cancer patients using the same LED and nanoflake technology. With their continued partnership, the dream of personalized, affordable, and pain-free cancer treatments is more achievable than ever.

Among the team’s notable contributors are Ph.D. student Hui-Ping Chang, who spearheaded the development of the nanoflakes, and several researchers from the University of Porto and the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, who played crucial roles in characterizing the biological effects and developing the LED systems. The UT Austin Portugal Program represents a significant scientific and technological alliance that has just been renewed for another five years, promising even more groundbreaking discoveries ahead.