Both cancers are typically resistant to chemotherapy, says Fleury Augustin Nsole Biteghe, a lecturer in biotechnology, chemistry and chemical biology. But by attaching a light-sensitive drug to a protein called MTf—which appears abundantly in both cancers—and bathing the drug-infused protein in near-infrared light, cancer cells die.

Using antibodies to target cancer proteins is typically performed by using multiple drugs at once, Nsole Biteghe says. But this approach stimulates the immune system so much that it can end up attacking healthy body tissues, he says.

“The antibody is like a key and we know what the lock is,” he says.

His research, published in the journal Cancer Medicine, describes a technique to make this therapy more precise.

“By using just one drug, we enhanced the efficacy,” Nsole Biteghe says. “It enables doctors to directly correlate the drug that is going into the cells with the therapeutic outcome.”