A light-based treatment lowered glioblastoma cell survival in the lab
Original title: Molecular Effects of Indocyanine Green-Photodynamic Therapy on Programmed Cell Death Pathways in T98G and U-118MG Glioblastoma Cells-An RT-qPCR Study.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was done on cells in a lab, not in people. It is a very early step.
This was only done on cells in a dish, not in people.
The short version
Researchers tested a dye plus light on brain tumor cells in a dish, and fewer cells stayed alive.
What was studied. Scientists used two lines of glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells grown in the lab, called T98G and U-118MG. They split the cells into four groups: no treatment, light only, dye only, and the dye indocyanine green followed by light.
What they found. The dye plus light lowered cell survival to 67.79% compared with 86.66% in the untreated group. In the T98G cells, the treatment did not clearly change the activity of any of the genes the team measured 24 hours later. In the U-118MG cells, two of those genes, CASP3 and ACSL4, dropped after the treatment.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This adds early lab evidence that a dye plus light can harm glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells. It also suggests the two cell types react differently. The researchers say more work is needed to see how the treatment actually works.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean there is a new treatment. The work was done only on cells in a dish, not in people or animals. It does not tell us whether this would help anyone with a brain tumor, and it is not a cure. Any use in real care is a long way off, if it happens at all.
Source: PubMed, June 26, 2026 · Read the original
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