Researchers Use Ultrasound To Selectively Damage Cancer Cells

In case you didn’t know, ultrasound technology has been used to destroy tumors. This is something that has been done for a while and is an alternative to invasive surgery. However, the problem with ultrasound is that it destroys both cancerous and healthy cells at the same time, which obviously is less than ideal.

However, thanks to researchers at the California Institute of Technology and City of Hope Beckman Research Institute have come up with a new way of using ultrasound technology that can selectively target cancer cells. This is done by turning the ultrasound frequency way down and creating a low-intensity ultrasound that can find and destroy tumors.

This theory was first developed at a lab in Caltech, where it was suggested that maybe certain cells are vulnerable to ultrasound at specific frequencies. This has been likened to how a trained singer can shatter a wine glass by singing at a specific pitch.

According to David Mittelstein, lead author on the paper, “This project shows that ultrasound can be used to target cancer cells based on their mechanical properties. This is an exciting proof of concept for a new kind of cancer therapy that doesn’t require the cancer to have unique molecular markers or to be located separately from healthy cells to be targeted.”

Tyler Lee
Categories: Medical
Tags: Health, Science