"Precise Targeted Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer Only" KAIST Develops 3D Micro-LED Device

An ultra-small LED device capable of precisely targeting and treating cancer cells with light while wrapping around the pancreas has been developed.

KAIST announced on December 11 that the research team led by Professor Gunjae Lee of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST, in collaboration with the team of Professor Taehyuk Kwon at UNIST, has successfully developed a "three-dimensional micro-LED" device that wraps around the entire pancreas and delivers light directly.

(Top row from left) Minseo Kim, integrated master's and doctoral program at KAIST, Jaehee Lee, PhD, Chaekyu Lee, PhD at UNIST, (Bottom row from left) Gunjae Lee, Professor at KAIST, Taehyuk Kwon, Professor at UNIST. Provided by KAIST

Pancreatic cancer is often called the "cancer of cancers" due to its challenging diagnosis and treatment. Its five-year survival rate is only 10%, making it one of the most difficult cancers to treat. Furthermore, from stage 2 onward, a dense defensive barrier known as the tumor microenvironment forms around the tumor, making surgery difficult and preventing anticancer drugs and immune cells from penetrating, which results in extremely low treatment success rates.

Recently, photodynamic therapy has attracted attention as an alternative to overcome these challenges. This method uses a photosensitizer drug that binds only to cancer cells and destroys the tumor tissue by shining light on it. However, conventional lasers have limitations in delivering light to deep organs such as the pancreas. In addition, intense light can pose the risk of damaging healthy tissue.

To address these issues, the joint research team devised a three-dimensional micro-LED device that can bend freely like an octopus arm and emit light while closely adhering to the surface of the pancreas. This device is designed to wrap around the pancreas and deliver light evenly for an extended period, allowing for the precise targeting and elimination of cancer cells without affecting healthy tissue.

The research results (paper) of the joint research team were recently selected as the cover paper of the international academic journal Advanced Materials. Provided by KAIST

When this device was applied to live mice, it resulted in a 64% reduction of tumor fibrous tissue within three days. The damaged pancreatic tissue was also observed to recover its normal structure. This demonstrates the potential for clinical application and commercialization of pancreatic cancer treatment using this device.

Professor Lee stated, "The greatest barrier in treating pancreatic cancer is the direct removal of the tumor microenvironment. From this perspective, our joint research team has proposed a new paradigm in phototherapy and confirmed the technological completeness of our approach."

He added, "Going forward, our joint research team will establish a platform that enables real-time analysis of pancreatic tumor status using artificial intelligence (AI) to provide personalized treatment. We will seek clinical partners to commercialize this technology."

Professor Kwon commented, "The results of this study will serve as an important foundation for expanding the scope of immune-based therapeutic strategies for intractable cancers, as it overcomes the previous limitations of deep tissue light delivery in phototherapy."

This research was supported by the Global Center for Bio-Convergence Interfacing Materials (Leading Research Center) and the National Cancer Center. The research results (paper) were recently selected and published as the cover paper of the international academic journal Advanced Materials.

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