Bengaluru: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have found that low-frequency ultrasound can selectively kill oral cancer cells while leaving healthy cells largely unharmed, raising the possibility of a less invasive treatment for one of India’s most common cancers.
Oral cancer remains a major public health challenge in India, largely because of widespread tobacco and areca nut use. Although surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the standard treatments, they often damage healthy tissue along with cancer cells, leading to significant side effects.
In the new study, IISc researchers, working with clinicians from MS Ramaiah Medical College and Hospitals, tested low-frequency ultrasound on oral tumour samples obtained directly from patients. Using patient-derived samples allowed the team to better capture the diversity seen among Indian patients than conventional laboratory-grown cancer cell lines.
“The researchers found that oral cancer cells were highly vulnerable to the moderate mechanical forces generated by ultrasound. The study suggests this is because the cells have reduced levels of Tropomyosin 2.1, a protein that helps normal cells sense and withstand mechanical stress. When exposed to ultrasound, the cancer cells underwent selective cell death, while healthy oral epithelial cells were largely unaffected,” IISc said on Thursday.
Ajay Tijore, assistant professor at IISc’s department of bioengineering and the study’s corresponding author said the novelty of this study lies in showing how ultrasound mechanostimulation can selectively target oral cancer cells by exploiting their mechanical weakness. “…Instead of using heat or drugs, this approach uses moderate mechanical forces to damage cancer cells beyond their ability to recover,” he explained.
The study also found that ultrasound significantly reduced the ability of cancer cells to migrate and invade nearby tissue. Using a three-dimensional co-culture model that mimics the tumour environment, the researchers observed that ultrasound disrupted the dense protective barrier surrounding tumour cells. Such barriers often prevent medicines and immune cells from reaching the tumour, reducing treatment effectiveness.
“What surprised us most was the consistency of the response across cancer cells derived from multiple patients from different cancer stages. They were highly vulnerable to ultrasound, while normal cells were much less affected,” Rashmita Luha, a PhD student at IISc and the study’s first author, said.
Because ultrasound is already widely used in medicine and is non-invasive, the researchers believe the findings could pave the way for safer, more targeted therapies. They now plan to test the approach in more advanced preclinical models and explore whether combining ultrasound with existing treatments can improve drug delivery and treatment outcomes.
With further validation in advanced preclinical models, this approach may help develop safer, more targeted treatment strategies for oral cancer and potentially other easily accessible cancers such as breast and skin cancers.
