Scientists develop glowing dye that sticks to cancer cells in groundbreaking research

Scientists have developed a glowing dye that sticks to cancer cells and gives surgeons a ‘second set of eyes’ to remove them in real time and permanently eradicate the disease. Experts say the breakthrough could reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and prevent debilitating side effects.

The fluorescent dye highlights tiny cancerous tissue that cannot be seen with the naked eye, allowing surgeons to remove every last cancer cell while preserving healthy tissue. That could mean fewer life-changing side effects after surgery.

The technique was developed by scientists and surgeons from the University of Oxford in collaboration with Californian biotech company ImaginAb Inc and was funded by Cancer Research UK.

“We give the surgeon a second set of eyes to see where the cancer cells are and whether they have spread,” says Freddie Hamdy, professor of surgery at the University of Oxford. “With this technique we can remove all the cancer, including the cells that have spread from the tumor, which could give it a chance to come back later.”

In the first study of its kind, 23 men with prostate cancer were injected with the marker dye before undergoing surgery to remove their prostate. The fluorescent dye highlighted the cancer cells and where they had spread to other tissues, such as the pelvis and lymph nodes.

A special imaging system was used to shine light on the prostate and nearby areas, causing the prostate cancer cells to glow. The ability to see such details allowed surgeons to remove cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue.

Details of the breakthrough were published on Monday 10 June in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

“It’s the first time we’ve been able to see such fine details of prostate cancer in real time during surgery,” said Hamdy, the lead author of the ProMOTE study. “It also allows us to maintain as many healthy structures around the prostate as possible, reducing unnecessary life-changing side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

“Prostate surgery is life-changing. We want patients to leave the operating room knowing that we have done everything possible to eradicate their cancer and give them the best quality of life afterwards. I believe this technology makes that possibility a reality.”

The procedure works by combining the dye with a targeting molecule known as IR800-IAB2M. The dye and marker molecule attach to a protein called prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), which is found on the surface of prostate cancer cells.

David Butler, 77, a retired sales development manager from Southmoor, Oxfordshire, is cancer-free after being one of 23 men to take part in the trial. Before the surgery, scans had indicated that his prostate cancer had begun to spread.

Now fully recovered and healthy, Butler said he was a “happy man” and determined to enjoy “every moment” of life. He added: “I took early retirement to enjoy life’s pleasures: gardening, playing pétanque and walking. Participating in the ProMOTE study has allowed me to enjoy that kind of fun for years to come.”

Although the technique has been tried in patients with prostate cancer, it could be adapted to other forms of the disease. Experts hope the dye could be used for other types of cancer by changing the protein it uses to attach to cancer cells.

Dr. Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, said: “Surgery can effectively cure cancer if it is removed at an early stage. But in those early stages it is virtually impossible to tell by eye which cancers have spread locally and which have not.”

Further studies were now needed in larger groups of patients, but the combined dye and imaging system could “fundamentally transform” the way we treat cancer in the future, Foulkes said.

“It’s exciting that we may soon have access to surgical tools that can reliably eradicate prostate cancer and other cancers and give people longer, healthier lives free of the disease.”