Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green, a trailblazing medical physicist, has become internationally recognized as one of the first scientists to achieve a complete cure of cancer in animal models using laser-activated nanoparticles. Her groundbreaking work marks a monumental step toward a revolutionary, non-toxic treatment for human cancer patients.
Dr. Green’s innovative treatment, known as Laser-Activated Nano-Therapy (LANT) or Photothermal Nanotherapy, is a physics-based platform that offers a highly selective method to destroy cancerous cells while leaving healthy tissue unharmed. The therapy works in a few key steps:
- Nanoparticle Injection: Non-toxic gold nanoparticles are injected directly into the body.
- Targeting and Imaging: These nanoparticles are designed to accumulate specifically in the tumor. In some formulations, they also allow the tumor to “glow” under imaging, helping doctors pinpoint the exact location of the cancer.
- Laser Activation: A low-power, near-infrared laser beam is shined onto the tumor. Crucially, the laser by itself is harmless, and the nanoparticles are non-toxic on their own.
- Targeted Destruction: The gold nanoparticles absorb the laser light, rapidly generating heat that destroys the cancer cells from the inside.
This synergistic approach ensures that the treatment is only delivered to the targeted cancer cells, avoiding the widespread systemic damage and severe side effects associated with traditional chemotherapy and radiation.
The technology made history with its success in laboratory animal models. In studies published in 2014, the laser-activated gold nanoparticle technology induced complete tumor regression (elimination) in mice after a single, 10-minute treatment. The tumors were fully eliminated within 15 days, with no observable side effects.
Motivated by her personal experience of watching her aunt and uncle suffer from cancer and the side effects of traditional treatments, Dr. Green has dedicated her career to making this safer, more affordable, and highly effective treatment available to all. Her continuing research is supported by significant funding, including grants from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to advance her work toward human clinical trials.
