A major breakthrough in nanosurgery and the fight against cancer

Researchers at Polytechnique Montreal have developed a new nanosurgery method that uses a femtosecond laser along with gold nanoparticles. Deposited on the cells, these nanoparticles concentrate the laser's energy and make it possible to perform nanometric-scale surgery in an extremely precise and non-invasive fashion. The technique allows doctors to change the expression of genes in the cancer cells and could be used to slow their migration and prevent the formation of metastases. This breakthrough could eventually lead to the development of promising applications, including new therapeutic approaches in oncology, neurology and cardiology.