Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, Tohoku University, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Kyoto University, and Osaka University have discovered that terahertz radiation, contradicting conventional belief, can disrupt proteins in living cells without killing the cells. This finding implies that terahertz radiation, which was long considered impractical to use, may have applications in manipulating cell functions for the treatment of cancer, for example, but also that there may be safety issues to consider.
Reference
- Yamazaki et al. (2020). Propagation of THz irradiation energy through aqueous layers: Demolition of actin filaments in living cells. Sci. Rep. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65955-5
Contact
Special Postdoctoral Researcher
Shota Yamazaki
Terahertz Sensing and Imaging Research Team
RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics
Senior Scientist
Hiromichi Hoshina
Terahertz Sensing and Imaging Research Team
RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics