At the Hospital…Light at the end of the Tunnel for Cancer

Light emitting diodes (LED), used for plant experiments on the Space Shuttle, are being used to perform surgery on patients with brain cancer. Photodynamic Therapy, a MSFC Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Quantum Devices collaboration, uses LEDs to activate photosensitizers (light-sensitive, tumor-treating drugs) that have been injected intravenously. Light activation allows the drugs to destroy cancerous cells, leaving surrounding tissue virtually untouched.

As a result of over five years of research and experimentation, the LED probe has gained FDA approval. Cancer treatment trials using the LEDs have thus far included skin cancer and brain tumor patients, with promising results.

A second chapter in the partnership focuses on LEDs wound healing powers. Subject improvements in wound healing will have multiple applications, including long-term space flight, military solutions, and civilian medical care. LED usage for wound healing has been approved by the Naval Special Warfare Command.

The transfer of LED technology from experiments for the Space Shuttle to the medical community is but one example of how NASA's commercial space research leads to improving the quality of life on Earth.