Rice University scientists and collaborators at Texas A&M University and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found a new way to kill cancer cells by using near-infrared light to make a small dye molecule attached to their membrane vibrate strongly. It is the first time this kind of mechanical molecular action has been used as a potential therapy.

A special form of molecule has been found to “tear apart” the membranes of cancer cells once activated, a promising new study by scientists at Rice University in Texas has revealed.

Known as aminocyanine molecules – and commonly used as synthetic dyes in medical imaging – their atoms can vibrate in unison and form a “plasmon” when hit with near-infrared light, causing cancer cells’ membranes to rupture.

And this treatment – through the use of what researchers are calling “molecular jackhammers” – is unbelievably effective, going by the study’s results.

For decades, a substantial number of proteins, vital for treating various diseases, have remained elusive to oral drug therapy. Traditional small molecules often struggle to bind to proteins with flat surfaces or require specificity for particular protein homologs. Typically, larger biologics that can target these proteins demand injection, limiting patient convenience and accessibility.

In a new study published in Nature Chemical Biology, scientists from the laboratory of Professor Christian Heinis at EPFL have achieved a significant milestone in drug development. Their research opens the door to a new class of orally available drugs, addressing a long-standing challenge in the pharmaceutical industry.

“There are many diseases for which the targets were identified but drugs binding and reaching them could not be developed,” says Heinis. “Most of them are types of cancer, and many targets in these cancers are protein-protein interactions that are important for the tumor growth but cannot be inhibited.”