Scientists have created an LED light that kills cancer cells without harming healthy cells

This achievement comes from a partnership between The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Porto in Portugal, made possible through the UT Austin Portugal program. This collaboration aims to make light-based cancer treatments more accessible and affordable. Current versions of these treatments rely on expensive materials, specialized laboratory equipment, and powerful lasers that can sometimes damage surrounding tissue. By switching to LEDs and introducing tin-based “SnOx nanoflakes” (Sn is the chemical symbol for tin), researchers have created a safer, lower-cost alternative.

LED light and nanochips combine against cancer

“Our goal was to create a treatment that was not only effective, but also safe and accessible,” said Jean-Anne Incorvia, the Chandra Family Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Cockrell School of Engineering and one of the project leaders. “By combining LED light with SnOx nanochips, we have developed a way to precisely target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched.”

In a recent study published in ACS NanoThis approach has proven highly effective against colorectal cancer cells and melanoma. After just 30 minutes of exposure, the LED-based treatment destroyed up to 92% of melanoma cells and 50% of colorectal cancer cells, while leaving healthy human skin cells unharmed. The results highlight the accuracy and safety of the treatment.

A safer alternative to traditional cancer treatments

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death worldwide, and many current treatments have severe side effects. Scientists around the world are exploring new ways to make treatments safer and more targeted. One of the most promising of these treatments is near-infrared photothermal therapy, which uses light to heat and destroy cancer cells without the need for surgery or toxic drugs. This principle forms the basis of the University of Texas at Austin-Portugal team’s research.

Having shown strong early results, the researchers are now focusing on understanding how light and heat interact in the process and on testing other materials that might enhance the treatment. They also plan to design practical medical devices that can deliver treatment directly to patients.

Providing cancer care with light to patients

“Our ultimate goal is to make this technology available to patients everywhere, especially places where access to specialized equipment is limited, with fewer side effects and lower cost,” said Artur Pinto, a researcher at the University of Porto’s Faculty of Engineering and the project’s principal investigator in Portugal. “For skin cancers in particular, we envision that one day, treatment could move from the hospital to the patient’s home. A portable device could be placed on the skin after surgery to irradiate and destroy any remaining cancer cells, reducing the risk of recurrence.”

Incorvia and Pinto first collaborated through the UT Austin Portugal program in 2021. Since then, they have exchanged visits between Texas and Portugal and pooled their expertise to explore how 2D materials can be used to develop cancer treatments.

Expanding the boundaries of research

Building on their success, the team recently received additional funding through the UT Austin Portugal program to create an implant for breast cancer patients using the same LED and nanoflake technology. Their continued collaboration could pave the way for more personalized, affordable and pain-free cancer treatments in the near future.

Other co-authors of the article are: Ph.D. student Hui-Ping Chang (who led the nanochip development) and undergraduate student Eva Nance from the University of Texas at Austin; Philippa ALS Silva (performed the biological characterization), Susana J. Santos (supervised the work) and Professor Fernão Magalhães (contributed to securing funding) from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto; and Jose R. Fernández of the University of Tras os Montes and Alto Doro, who developed the LED systems.

The UT Austin Portugal Program is a long-term scientific and technological partnership between UT and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Portugal has similar partnerships with two other American universities – MIT and Carnegie Mellon University – and its 17-year collaboration with the University of Texas was recently renewed for another five years.