Illuminating Cancer Cells

CYTALUX illuminating cancer cells, AUTM.

Cancer cells have a way of hiding in plain sight. Dr. Phill Low and his team at Purdue University developed a solution to see cancerous cells during surgery. The key they found was to illuminate cancer cells with fluorescent markers.

Surgically removing the cancerous lesions is an effective treatment for cancer patients, but small clusters of cancer cells can be missed during the operation. It is common practice for surgeons to rely on preoperative imaging and real-time visual cues during the removal procedure. Due to the lack of imaging, it is difficult for surgeons to see that all of the cancer cells were removed with the current procedure. Any cancerous clusters that were missed can cause a reassurance of the disease.

Dr. Low and On Target Laboratories targeted ovarian cancer cells as the first stage in visualizing cancer cells with fluorescent markers. They received FDA approval for CYTALUX™ in 2021. The team used the combination of fluorescent markers of near-infrared dye and targeting molecules to bind to receptors in cancer cells. The specific receptor, folate receptors become overexpressed when a cell is cancerous, so they become the targets for the fluorescent markers. Once bound to the malignant tissue, the fluorescent dye lights up under near-infrared imaging systems. The surgeon is able to visualize all the cancer cells even those that are under the tissue.

With the goal of creating cancer fluorescent markers for every type of cancer, On Target Laboratories has ongoing clinical trials. As of writing, the trials for lung cancer cells have completed the Phase Three and prostate cancer cells have competed enrollment in Phase One.