Photonic modulation of epidermal growth factor receptor halts receptor activation and cancer cell migration

Abstract

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays a key role in regulating cell survival, proliferation and migration, and its overexpression and activation has been correlated with cancer progression. Cancer therapies targeting EGFR have been applied in the clinic with some success. We show, by confocal microscopy analysis, that illumination of adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cells (Human A549-EGFR biosensor cell line) with 280 nm at irradiance levels up to 20 times weaker than the Ultraviolet B (UVB) solar output for short periods of time (15-45 minutes) prevents epidermal growth factor-mediated activation of EGFR located on the cell membrane, preventing or reducing cellular disaggregation, formation of filopodia and cell migration. This effect of Ultraviolet (UV) light illumination was confirmed further in a functional scratch assay, and shown to be more effective than that of a specific EGFR-signaling inhibitor. This new photonic approach may be applicable to the treatment of various types of cancer, alone or in combination with other therapies.

Living Sample Viability Measurement Methods from Traditional Assays to Nanomotion

“…It is non-invasive and can be used to distinguish between healthy and dead samples. In addition, it is a rapid, label-free, real-time method that does not damage samples and works based on the sample’s interaction with electromagnetic radiation to provide chemical fingerprints [ 65 ]. Analyzing the RS images of living samples has made it possible to calculate samples viability as a percentage of dead or diseased samples compared to healthy samples.…”