Oral cancer is a major health challenge in India, where tobacco and areca nut use contribute substantially to the disease burden. Despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, treatment remains difficult because current approaches can damage healthy tissues along with cancer cells, often affecting patients’ quality of life.

When exposed to ultrasound-driven mechanical stimulation, oral cancer cells underwent selective cell death, while healthy oral epithelial cells remained unharmed.

“The novelty of this study lies in showing how ultrasound mechanostimulation can selectively target oral cancer cells by exploiting their mechanical weakness,” says Ajay Tijore, assistant professor at the Department of Bioengineering, IISc, and corresponding author.