Photothermal killing of mamillian cancer cells via non-ionizing radiation

In this work, we demonstrate methods for targeting and killing mammalian cancer cells with visible non-ionizing radiation. We find that photothermal efficiency is massively enhanced when cells are sensitized with synthetic melanin nanoparticles, known to be excellent absorbers of light in the ultra-violet (UV), visible (VIS) and near infrared (NIR) frequency ranges. Nanoparticle uptake is highly efficent for malignant cancer cell lines, and this uptake is further enhanced by coating the melanin nanoparticles with glucose. Death of nanoparticle-filled cells occurs primarily by heating. We show that this process of cell elimination is highly target-selective in the presence of non-sensitized cells.