Study: Laser-activated deep-sea drug kills prostate cancer

Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science and Steba Biotech have reportedly developed a light-sensitive drug derived from deep-sea bacteria that has been shown to kill cancer cells in low-risk prostate cancer patients without affecting healthy tissue. The team’s work was published in Lancet Oncology.

Vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy, VTP, utilizes a drug called WST11 which was derived from bacteria that survive with very little sunlight at the bottom of the ocean. The bacteria have evolved to efficiently convert light into energy. This property enables WST11 to release free radicals and kill surrounding cells when exposed to a laser light.

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