University of Tennessee Develops a Cancer Cure Technology

University of Tennessee Space Institute has reportedly developed a laser technology that can fight Cancer relatively better than the existing technologies.

Researchers at the Centre for Laser Applications at the University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma have developed a technology that goes on 'seek and destroy' mission for cancerous tumours.

The researchers claim that they have succeeded in harnessing the power of lasers to find, map and non-invasively kill the Cancer cells.

Christian Parigger, associate professor of physics, and Jacqueline Johnson, associate professor of mechanical, aerospace, and biomedical engineering, along with Robert Splinter of Splinter Consultants, have developed the invention.

According to them, a femtosecond laser is used in the technology which means that it vibrates at a speed of one-quadrillionth of a second. This high-speed enables it to focus on specific region to find and accurately map a tumour.

Once the cancerous cell is identified, the intensity of the laser radiation is turned up to burn-off the tumours. The researchers are confident that this technology has the potential to be more precise than the current existing methods and can be operated as outpatient procedure evading intensive surgery.

The technology can be especially helpful to brain cancer victims. The imaging mechanism can non-invasively permeate thin layers of bone, such as the skull, and can help define a targeted treatment strategy for persistent cancer. The method also overcomes limitations posed by current treatments in which radiation may damage portions of healthy brain tissue, reports SpaceRef.

"If you have a cancerous area such as in the brain, the notion is if you see something and take care of it, it won't spread," said Parigger. "This treatment overcomes difficulties in treating brain cancer and tumors. And it has the promise of application to other areas, as well."

The researchers are working to bring their technology to market with the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, a non profit corporation responsible for commercializing the university's technologies and supporting UT research.