Light switch wakes sleeping cancer cells and makes them vulnerable again

According to researchers at ETH Zurich, many cancer cells survive treatment by entering a dormant state. They've now developed a light-controlled molecular switch that selectively destroys the receptors these cells depend on to stay asleep. In laboratory tests with lung cancer cells, the approach worked—waking the dormant cells and making them vulnerable to treatment again. The technique could eventually enable more effective cancer therapies while limiting damage to healthy tissue.

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