Research and application prospects of terahertz technology in the medical field.
When terahertz waves are directly radiated on biological tissue, because its energy is very small, it will not ionize the tissue, but it will still have a strong interaction with the biological tissue. By taking advantage of this feature, we can explore terahertz waves. Whether it can produce beneficial radiation effects on organisms can help in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the medical field.
In 2005, Dr. Ostrovskiy et al. used terahertz radiation to treat burn patients. The results showed that terahertz wave radiation combined with traditional drug treatment methods can accelerate the healing of the burn site of the patient. In 2008, Dr. Kirichuk et al. used terahertz waves to irradiate mice. The experiment showed that after terahertz waves irradiated, various functions of platelets in the blood of mice changed, and there were gender differences. It is speculated that the analysis is due to the difference between terahertz waves and females. The result of hormonal action. In terms of the ability to completely restore platelet aggregation, females showed a more obvious effect than males. In 2009, Dr. Kirichuk et al. conducted terahertz wave radiation on mice with albinism. The results showed that terahertz wave radiation increased depression and platelet aggregation in mice. In 2010, Dr. Kirichuk and others continued to conduct terahertz wave radiation experiments on rats. The results showed that radiation exposure at different times affected fibrinolysis and coagulation. A series of experimental results show that terahertz wave radiation is promising for the treatment of fibrinolytic dysfunction and coagulation.
The thermal radiation effect of electromagnetic waves can activate cell tissues and accelerate the circulation of human blood. At the same time, because the frequency of terahertz waves is in the same frequency band as the vibration frequency of biomolecules, researchers are also paying special attention to its thermal radiation effect. In 2013, after conducting relevant experiments, researchers from the National Key Laboratory of Los Alamos and Harvard Medical School concluded that the terahertz wave thermal radiation method may be able to achieve non-contact control of cell genes, but further development is required. experiments to prove these possibilities.
The biological effects of terahertz wave radiation have been gradually developed since the 1960s, and a large number of experiments have verified its role in inhibiting cell DNA synthesis, increasing cell growth rate, and enhancing cell transition capabilities. In recent years, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has conducted a series of experiments to study the biological effects of terahertz wave radiation. Mainly studied the response of cells under strong terahertz wave radiation, observed the response of mammals (mainly humans) under terahertz radiation, and found that as the temperature rises, cells will undergo varying degrees of apoptosis. This shows that radiation can cause cell damage or death, and some genes can be preferentially expressed. This gene can be used as a reference for terahertz wave radiation.
A series of experimental results have verified that terahertz wave radiation is beneficial to fibrinolysis due to issues such as composition, treatment of wound healing, and platelet aggregation. Regarding the biological effects of cells, a small amount of terahertz wave radiation can promote cell growth and reproduction, while a large amount of terahertz wave radiation can cause changes in cell morphology, and can cause membrane reorganization, destruction, and increased permeability. In terms of genes, experiments have shown that terahertz wave radiation will not damage the function and structure of DNA, but a large number of experiments are still needed to prove the biological safety of terahertz waves. Many countries and research institutions have also established related special projects to address this issue. . Although the mechanism of radiation's effect on living organisms is currently unclear, the series of studies is of great significance to the many therapeutic applications of terahertz radiation in medicine.
