A Light Switch That Wakes Up "Sleeping" Cancer Cells…

A Light Switch That Wakes Up "Sleeping" Cancer Cells, Making Them Vulnerable Again Some cancer cells have a survival trick: they go dormant. Instead of dividing and growing, they essentially fall asleep, becoming largely invisible to many cancer therapies that specifically target actively dividing cells. A new study published in PNAS, from researchers at ETH Zurich, describes an ingenious light-based solution to wake these cells back up. precisely, and only where needed. In certain cancers, including some lung cancers, stress hormones activate specialised proteins called glucocorticoid receptors inside tumour cells. Once activated, these receptors push the cells into a dormant state, dramatically slowing cell division and making many treatments far less effective. Glucocorticoid receptors aren't unique to cancer cells; they exist throughout the body and play essential roles in controlling inflammation and normal immune function. Simply eliminating them everywhere would cause serious side effects. An