Toward cancer treatment using terahertz radiation: demethylation of cancer cells

Carcinogenesis involves DNA methylation, a primary alteration in DNA, in the development of cancer before genetic mutation. Because abnormal DNA methylation is found in most cancer cells, the assessment and manipulation of DNA methylation using terahertz radiation can be a novel optical method to detect and control cancer. By directly observing the methylation via terahertz spectroscopy at approximately 1.65 THz, this epigenetic chemical change can be manipulated to the state of demethylation using high-power terahertz radiation. Demethylation of cancer DNA is a key issue in epigenetic cancer therapy, and our results may lead to the treatment of cancer using electromagnetic waves.