A team of scientists from the N.G. Chernyshevsky National Research Saratov State University (SSU) has developed a technology to combat brain tumors during deep sleep using infrared lasers and stimulating brain tissue drainage. The results of the study are published in the scientific journal Biomedicines.

Glioblastoma, an aggressive malignant brain tumor, is difficult to treat due to the blood-brain barrier, which prevents 95% of drugs from entering the brain.

Non-pharmacological treatments, such as photodynamic therapy, have limitations, including being unsuitable for infants and patients with allergies to photosensitizers.

SSU researchers have proposed a new method that bypasses these limitations. Using infrared lasers and photobiomodulation, they activated the brain’s lymphatic “vacuums,” which remove toxins and suppress tumor growth. These “vacuums” are particularly active during deep sleep.

Oksana Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya, head of the Department of Human and Animal Physiology at SSU, noted that the technology is portable and safe, with no analogs in the world. In the future, the method could be used to treat other diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

The new technology is currently undergoing the licensing process, with pilot clinical trials set to begin in 2025.

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