News Excerpt:
Scientists have identified a novel method to eliminate cancer cells using aminocyanine molecules.
About Aminocyanine molecules:
- These molecules can break apart cancer cell membranes when stimulated by near-infrared light.
- It is commonly used as a synthetic dye in bioimaging.
- It demonstrates over a million times faster mechanical motion than its predecessors.
- The use of near-infrared light holds significant importance, as it facilitates deeper penetration into the body.
- This breakthrough could potentially revolutionise the treatment of cancers in bones and organs, eliminating the need for invasive surgeries.
How does it work on cancer cells?
- As these molecules move, the electrons within them form plasmons, collective vibrating entities that induce movement throughout the entire molecule.
- The plasmons, resembling molecular arms, connect with cancer cell membranes and, through vibrational movements, dismantle them.
Cancer cells are different to normal cells in various ways:
- Cancer cells don't stop growing and dividing:
- Unlike normal cells, cancer cells don't stop growing and dividing when there are enough of them. So, the cells keep doubling, forming a lump (tumour) that grows in size.
- Cancer cells ignore signals from other cells:
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- Cells send chemical signals to each other all the time. Normal cells obey signals.
- But something in cancer cells stops the normal signalling system from working.
- Cancer cells don't stick together:
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- Cancer cells can lose the molecules on their surface that keep normal cells in the right place. So they can break away from their neighbours.
- Cancer cells don't specialise:
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- Unlike healthy cells, cancer cells don't carry on maturing or become so specialised.
- Cells mature to carry out their function in the body. This maturing process is called differentiation.
- Cancer cells don't repair themselves or die:
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- Normal cells can repair themselves if their genes become damaged. This is known as DNA repair.
- In cancer cells, the molecules that decide whether a cell should repair itself are faulty.
- For example, a protein called p53 usually checks if the cell can repair its genes or if it should die.
- However, many cancers have a faulty version of p53, so they don't repair themselves properly.
- Cancer cells look different:
- are different sizes and some may be larger than normal while others are smaller
- often have an abnormal shape
- often have a nucleus (control centre) that looks abnormal.