Domestic researchers have developed a technology to eliminate cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy using light.
Professors Kwon Tae-hyuk and Min Doo-young from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), along with Professor Park Tae-ho from Pohang University of Science and Technology, noted on the 16th that they have developed a photosensitive compound that can inhibit autophagy in cancer cells, which is known to be a cause of drug resistance in cancer. When exposed to light, the compound is activated and selectively targets the 'lysosomes,' which are small sacs in the cell where autophagy occurs.
The cancer cells' ever-changing adaptability has been cited as a major obstacle in the development of chemotherapeutics. Autophagy, which breaks down waste products inside the cell, is one of those adaptive mechanisms. Cancer cells are known to expel chemotherapy drugs through autophagy, fill the lack of energy sources with the by-products of decomposition, and evade the immune system.
To inhibit this autophagy, the researchers developed a photosensitive compound made of morpholine and iridium. Morpholine serves to specifically target the lysosomes of cells, while iridium causes oxidative damage when exposed to light. After administering the developed photosensitive compound to mice implanted with chemotherapy-resistant pancreatic cancer cells and exposing them to infrared light, the cancer diminished in size within seven days, even in pancreatic cancer tissue that had developed drug resistance, eventually disappearing completely.
Analysis revealed that this photosensitive compound not only destroys the lysosomal membrane when it receives light but also prevents lysosomes from fusing with autophagosomes. Autophagosomes are temporary areas where cellular waste is isolated, and the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes must occur for autophagy to begin.
Professor Kwon Tae-hyuk said, "This will help in treating major refractory cancers that have developed drug resistance through autophagy," adding, "We are currently validating its efficacy when combined with existing chemotherapeutics." The research team plans to further identify the proteins that cause oxidative damage from the developed photosensitive compound.
The research findings were published on the 14th in the international journal 'Advanced Science'.
Reference materials
Advanced Science (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202407236