UT professor finds way to kill cancer cells

AUSTIN (KXAN) - According to the National Cancer Institute, 41 percent of men and women born today will be diagnosed with one form of cancer in their lifetimes.

That is why researchers are working overtime to find new ways to fight back.

One University of Texas professor has developed an innovative way to kill cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue.

Associate Professor Adela Ben-Yakar has worked in the Mechanical Engineering Department in the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT since 2004.

That is where she began her crusade by taking the ultra-short pulse laser, originally created by a chemist, and transforming it as a weapon to fight cancer.

"My goal is to really bring it to the clinics, to the people for help, " Ben-Yakar said.

"One of the important goals in the cancer treatment is to remove the unhealthy tissue, the malignant tissue, while preserving all the healthy cells, " she said.

The laser is designed to give surgeons pinpoint accuracy and to be a lot less harsh than conventional lasers, which are used now.

The new laser doesn't use heat all all. In fact, it uses concentrated energy to focus on the exact area the doctor wants to remove.

"The patient will be able to recover faster, they will have less scaring and keep the functionality of the treated region," Ben-Yakar said.

This technology is still three to five years away but Ben-Yakar said she will not stop until the laser is available to every clinic and hospital.