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You have probably enjoyed the soothing, therapeutic benefits of Infrared heat without even knowing it. The sun provides nature's best Infrared heat therapy, and it's the reason that you seem to relax when your skin is touched by its warmth instantly. Far Infrared Rays do not cause sunburn or damage your skin and should not be confused with Ultraviolet Lights that can cause sunburn and damage the skin.
Infrared heat warms objects directly, including you, rather than just warming just the air around you as a conventional heater does. This has many associated health benefits but also economic benefits when used to heat the home efficiently. Far Infrared heating is a very economical way to heat the house without losing heat to the air as with conventional heating systems.
Infrared heat is light that lies between the visible and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Infrared light has a range of wavelengths, just like visible light has wavelengths that range from red light to violet.
Near-Infrared light is closest in wavelength to visible light. These shorter, near-infrared waves are warm, and you can feel a comfortable sensation with them.
Far Infrared, often referred to as FIR waves, are thermal and closer to the electromagnetic spectrum's microwave region, and we experience this as heat. Far Infrared heat provides many of the benefits of natural sunlight without the dangerous effects of U.V. radiation.
Since the primary source of Infrared radiation is thermal radiation, any object with a temperature radiates in the infrared. The warmer the thing, the more Infrared radiation it emits. Even cold objects such as an ice cube will emit some detectable infrared.
When an object is hot but not quite hot enough to radiate visible light, it will emit most of its energy in the Infrared range. For example, hot charcoal may not give off visible light, but it demits infrared radiation that we feel as heat.
Infrared waves around the home have been with us for years and are now starting to be used in a wide variety of new applications. Near-Infrared is the one we all know and is used to transmit information from place to places, such as with your T.V. remote control or data links over short distances between computers or mobile phones.
The therapeutic and practical effects of far-infrared heat are used in applications such as hospital incubators for newborn babies, modern saunas which avoid the high temperatures of the traditional humid hot air saunas, food heaters in restaurants and even modern hair dryers and straighteners, which are claimed to be a gentler on the hair and of course, light therapy for muscle recovery and general wellness.
The health benefits of Infrared heat generally fall into two categories. The first is Far Infrared used as a domestic heating system, and the second is Infrared heat therapies.
Far Infrared heat is a healthier, more comfortable, and more efficient method than any other source of domestic heating. Far Infrared heat provides many of the benefits of natural sunlight without the dangerous effects of U.V. radiation. Conventional heating systems diminish air quality by drying out the air and producing an irritating dry, static atmosphere.
The incredible benefit of using a Far Infrared heating system is that your home or office climate feels healthier and is healthier to be in. Using less energy saves you money, which has its natural feel-good factor. An economic heating system brings social benefits in that more people can afford to heat their homes to a more comfortable and healthier temperature.
Infrared heaters work by exciting the molecules in objects and our bodies, causing them to generate heat. This also stimulates the circulatory system and produces a feeling of pleasure and deep warmth, unlike convection, which warms only the skin's surface.
There is a large body of evidence, observations, and medical acceptance from around the world that Far Infrared heat therapies and heating are good for your health too. Health treatments and therapies using Far Infrared heat usually involve using a particular Infrared device, a balanced lifestyle, plenty of fresh air, and balanced exposure to natural sunlight.
One of the reported health benefits of Far Infrared heat is that it helps to relieve pain better than more traditional sources of heat to apply warmth to the body.
Because Infrared heat radiates heat evenly and does not need a secondary transference method to warm an object or person as with conventional heat sources, infrared is seen as a more efficient heat therapy method. Suppose you've ever used an infrared sauna, then you will understand why. You can stay in an Infrared sauna longer and reap more excellent benefits because the air around you does not reach blistering temperatures like in a traditional sauna. Athletes have been known to use this Infrared heat to relieve aches, pains, and strains and help speed up the healing process. Infrared heat is believed to help make circulation more efficient. Wounds heal faster with better circulation, and this is also true of muscle and tissue trauma.
Toxic accumulation in the body (or Toxic overload) can be a root cause behind many health conditions, including aging and diseases such as cancer. Symptoms of toxic overload include fatigue, headaches, joint or muscle pain, frequent colds and flu, signs of allergy and hormonal imbalance, chemical sensitivity, sinus congestion, psoriasis, other skin conditions, loss of talent, insomnia, etc. more. Psychological symptoms include poor concentration, memory loss, mood changes, mental confusion, and changes in behavior.
When toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, or potentially fatal heavy metal toxins such as mercury, lead, and chlorine, meet large water molecules, they are encapsulated by clusters of water and trapped in the body. Where these toxins are accumulated, blood circulation is blocked, and cellular energy is impaired.
Detoxification is the process of trying to remove these toxins from the body to achieve a healthier balance. Far Infrared is thought to be seven times more effective at detoxifying heavy metals such as mercury, aluminum, and even cholesterol, nicotine, alcohol, ammonia, sulphuric acid, and other environmental toxins instead of conventional heat or steam saunas.
"One of the reasons that far-infrared (FIR) has beneficial results in a variety of illnesses is the ability of FIR waves to remove toxins, which are often at the core of many health problems. Toxins that cannot be removed immediately after they enter the body are encapsulated by clusters of water. Blood circulation becomes blocked, and the cellular energy is impaired where 9 of these toxins accumulate. However, when a 7 to 11 micron FIR wave is applied to water molecules containing toxins, the water begins to vibrate. This vibration reduces the ion bonds of the atoms that are holding together the molecules of water. As the breakdown of the water molecule occurs, encapsulated gases and other toxic materials are released. One study done by American researchers showed that the sweat released by users of an FIR sauna was different from people's sweat using a conventional sauna or doing routine exercise.
Luckily, Kaiyan Medical produces FDA-cleared light therapy products with infrared light for your at-home treatment or even for your patientsWe'veve worked hard to provide solutions for both patients and healthcare practitioners, catering to various needs. Whetheyou'rere looking to private label your own light therapy devices or for home use, contact our team, as we would love to help you through your delicate therapy journey.
Chronic nonspecific back pain (CNBP) is a common and cost-intensive musculoskeletal syndrome in Western society. This condition is the most common cause of disability in North America, and it accounts for 64% of new consultations at this pain clinic. It has a lifetime prevalence of up to 80%, and for example, in low back pain, high rates of repeated occurrence have been reported. The mechanisms underlying CNBP are manifold: Mechanical reasons are not the sole triggers, as it was demonstrated that 85% of all CNBP cases show no morphologic causes. There is international consensus that comorbidities such as mood and anxiety disorders are associated with higher levels of perceived pain, and psychosocial mechanisms are essential in the chronification of pain. Patients suffering from depression with comorbid pain show longer times to remission. Psychosocial factors such as avoidance behavior and anxiety are closely connected to depression. They are evidently more accurate predictors for the development of chronic pain compared with biographical or somatic determinants. It has been reported that 60% of chronic pain patients show manifest symptoms of depression. The prevalence of depression is three to four times higher in low back pain patients than in the general population.
Pain relief with IR has been shown and studied for arthritis of the knee. Other beneficial effects documented are increased wound healing, blood flow, endorphin levels, and bioactivation of neuromodulators.
Infrared light promotes faster healing of deep tissues by penetrating the skin and improving the circulation of oxygenated blood in the body, thus relieving pain. Infrared light therapy can penetrate deeply so that it can help even harder to reach cells and tissues.
When infrared light reaches the smallest unit in our body, which are the cells, it is absorbed by the power generators of the cell, which are called mitochondria. This increases the cell’s metabolism, stimulating healing in the muscle, bone, skin, and subcutaneous tissue.
Improving the metabolism of the cells will increase blood flow. A vital component for this is the release of nitric oxide, a molecule that signals the blood flow when activated. Increased blood flow helps bring oxygenated blood and nutrients to different parts of the body, most especially to areas where there is pain. Aside from that, increased blood flow also paves the way for body wastes to be drained from the body faster. All these are crucial in the healing process, which reduces the inflammation and pain of the affected area.
It is widely accepted that a multimodal approach is required in the treatment of CNBP. The incorporation of infrared light therapy may offer this combined intervention strategy — considering pain, psychosocial, and emotional factors and being cost-effective. Infrared light therapy has proved successful mainly in the treatment of mood disorders. It has also been of interest in the treatment of various other behavioral syndromes such as eating and circadian rhythm disorders and headaches. That infrared light therapy could effectively treat CNBP can most likely be explained by the fact that pain and depression have been shown to share similarities in pathophysiological pathways and the brain regions affected. Additionally, melatonin, which strongly depends on the light-dark cycle, contributes to pain control through antinociceptive activity on spinal and supraspinal levels. In fact, MT1 and MT2 melatonergic receptors play an essential role in pain regulation by reducing hyperalgesia and modulating inflammation.
The frequency of sessions will depend on your alignment and the severity. Clients with chronic pain who have regular weekly sessions find this helps manage their ongoing pain issues by staying ahead of the inflammation and helps proactively manage their pain. If the pain is temporary, then 2–3 sessions may be what you need.
If you are unsure, discuss your needs with our friendly staff, who will help you sort through what’s right for your needs.
The quick answer is no, sunscreen doesn’t block infrared light, and you don’t need to block it.
The wavelengths of UV coming from the sun are classified as UV-A (320–400 nm), UV-B (290–320 nm), and UV-C (100–290 nm). UV-C has the highest energy, making it the most dangerous of the three-wavelength types. Luckily, the earth’s ozone layer protects UV-C (light that is even higher energy than UV is absorbed by nitrogen in the atmosphere), leaving UV-A and UV-B wavelengths to be of concern. The high energy of photons of UV light can penetrate the skin and trigger damaging reactions within the skin’s DNA or excite other chromophores present in the skin to form reactive oxygen species (ROS).
Ninety-five percent of UV radiation that reaches the earth’s surface is UV-A radiation. UV-A radiation triggers the tanning reactions in the skin, as the skin darkens in an attempt to protect itself from further damage. UV-A plays a major role in skin aging. It also causes damage to the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin) and is a factor in developing skin cancers.
Wavelength: 320–400 nm.
Effects: Tanning, Premature skin aging, Skin cancer.
Protection: Avobenzone (Parsol 1789), Ecamsul (Mexoryl), Zinc oxide.
Wavelength: 290–320 nm.
Effects: Vitamin D production, Sunburn, Cataracts, Genetic damage, Skin cancer.
Protection: Oxybenzone, Homosalate, Octinoxate, Octisalate, Titanium dioxide.
Wavelength: 100–290 nm
Effects: Cellular decomposition
Protection: Ozone in the lower stratosphere
A sunscreen product’s efficacy is commonly indicated by its “sun protection factor” or SPF. The SPF indicates how long it will take for UV-B rays to begin to redden the skin. Skin coated with an SPF 15 sunscreen will take 15 times longer to redden than without the sunscreen.
Infrared waves, or infrared light, are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. People encounter Infrared waves every day; the human eye cannot see them, but humans can detect them as heat. The remote control uses light waves beyond the visible spectrum of light — infrared light waves — to change channels on your TV.
Sunscreens do not shield skin from any infrared rays. Topical antioxidants should help shield the skin. Ignore the chatter about infrared. Ignore the sunscreens which claim to block infrared.
Focus on protecting your skin from UVA and UVB using a broad-spectrum sunscreen and physically keeping the sun off your skin with clothing, a hat, and shade. Yes, wear UPF 50 clothing and a sun hat when outdoors. Head for the shade or create it. Apply mineral zinc oxide-based sunscreen to exposed skin not covered by UV-blocking clothing. There is no controversy with these recommendations, and your skin will look great and stay strong for your lifetime if you protect it from UV exposure.
Daniel Barolet, François Christiaens, and Michael R Hamblin, Infrared and Skin: Friend or Foe, J Photochem Photobiol B. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2016 Feb; 155: 78–85.
Laura Hudson Eyman Rashdan Catherine A. Bonn Bhaven Chavan David Rawlings Mark A. Birch‐Machin, Individual and combined effects of the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light components of solar radiation on damage biomarkers in human skin cells, The FASEB Journal, Volume34, Issue3, March 2020, 3874–3883 https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.201902351RR
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a condition that causes an uncontrollable urge to move your legs, usually because of an uncomfortable sensation. It typically happens in the evening or nighttime hours when you’re sitting or lying down. Moving eases the unpleasant feeling temporarily. Doctors think RLS may be worsened by microvascular problems. This means that there is not enough blood flow and oxygen getting to these parts of the body.
Near-infrared (NIR) light is one therapy being used to help oxygenate tissues and treat RLS.
Near-infrared (NIR) is the region closest in wavelength to the radiation detectable by the human eye. Mid-and far-infrared is progressively further from the visible spectrum. NIR light therapy uses light to bring oxygen to tissues. Small sticky pads or a handheld light-emitting device are placed on your legs. Light of a particular wavelength passes from the patches or device through your skin. NIR light aims to increase blood flow. The extra oxygen that comes with the blood could help control your RLS symptoms.
A lack of blood flow could be a reason for bad symptoms. The body normally pumps blood and fresh oxygen to all its tissues. If there is not enough oxygen, the tissue becomes hypoxic. Hypoxic tissues may feel numb or tingly, and they may hurt.
If hypoxia in the legs and feet causes bad symptoms, then getting more oxygen to the tissues can bring relief. This can be done by getting the body’s blood vessels to vasodilate or enlarge. Bigger blood vessels bring more blood and oxygen to tissues.
NIR light therapy is called phototherapy, meaning it uses light as a treatment. Doctors think the NIR light enlarges blood vessels enough to raise the oxygen levels in the legs and feet.
NIR light therapy exposes your legs and feet to NIR light several times a week for many weeks. The light is delivered through patches that stick to your skin or through holding a small device against your leg.
For phototherapy, light passes through your skin either through sticky patches or a handheld device. Both are safe. There may be a little warming of the skin while the light is on, but this is not harmful.
A 2011 study, among others, showed that NIR light therapy lessened RLS symptoms after only 2 weeks. More research is needed to figure out if NIR light therapy works better on primary or secondary RLS and if it works better on males or females.
A 69-year-old Caucasian woman met International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group criteria to diagnose restless legs syndrome. She had been afflicted with restless legs syndrome for over 30 years and tried many available pharmaceutical remedies without success. For this study, she received 30-minute treatment sessions with near-infrared light three times a week for four weeks. The restless legs syndrome rating scale was used to track symptom changes; at baseline, she scored “27” on the 0 to 40 point scale, which is considered “severe.” The patient was almost symptom-free at week two, indicated by a score of “2” on the rating scale. By week four, she was completely symptom-free.
Phototherapy increases endorphins. These endorphins are the same “feel good” chemicals your brain makes when you exercise. Endorphins relieve pain which could be another benefit to NIR light therapy.
Mitchell, U.H. Use of near-infrared light to reduce symptoms associated with restless legs syndrome in a woman: a case report. J Med Case Reports 4, 286 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-1947-4-286
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6108511/
The control of fire by early humans was a turning point in the technological evolution of human beings. Fire provided a source of warmth, protection from predators, a way to create more advanced hunting tools, and a method for cooking food. These cultural advances allowed human geographic dispersal, cultural innovations, and changes to diet and behavior. Additionally, creating fire allowed human activity to continue into the evening's dark and colder hours.
Claims for the earliest definitive evidence of fire control by a member of Homo range from 1.7 to 2.0 million years ago. Evidence for the “microscopic traces of wood ash” as the controlled use of fire by Homo erectus, beginning some 1,000,000 years ago, has wide scholarly support. Flint blades burned in fires roughly 300,000 years ago were found near fossils of early but not entirely modern Homo sapiens in Morocco.
The fire was used regularly and systematically by early modern humans to heat treat silcrete stone to increase its flake-ability for toolmaking approximately 164,000 years ago at the South African site of Pinnacle Point.[5] Evidence of widespread control of fire by anatomically modern humans dates to approximately 125,000 years ago.They also used fire for light.
The burning of wood (or other organic materials) releases energy in the form of infrared light. When you take a photo of someone with an infrared camera, what do you see? A heat “signature” that correlates (approximately) to their metabolic activity.
What is infrared light? It is a spectrum of light that we can’t see but that powerfully shapes our biology. You sense infrared light as “heat.” The heat you feel from the sun — that’s the sensation of infrared light. The feeling of heat you get when you put your hand close to an oven, toaster, or fire — that is also infrared light. The heat of another person’s body — infrared light again. Hot springs transfer heat to your body in the form of infrared light stored in the water itself. When you take a hot shower or hot bath, the same principle is at work.
Infrared light has been used for decades as a heat source for saunas. Before IR saunas, we had sweat lodges and traditional stone saunas. In traditional saunas and sweat lodges, stones absorb energy from either an electronic heating unit (in the case of a sauna) or a fire. The light is stored in the stones and gradually released during the sweat lodge or the sauna. Both methods use light to heal the human body.
And infrared light doesn’t just transfer “heat” to your body — it turns the water in your cells into batteries. This is likely why ancient cultures recognize the importance of fire, sweat lodges, and saunas, especially in winter.
It is not a coincidence that sitting down next to a fire is so comfortable. Firelight is natural and helps to manage melatonin production as well as keeping our circadian rhythms under control.
A fireplace or fire-pit isn’t just an ornamental detail of your home, and it’s a tool you can use to live a healthier life.
Each day we are surrounded by light energy, sometimes we see it, and sometimes we don’t. For centuries, great minds have theorized what it is, how it travels, and how it affects life on our planet. Ancient cultures, researchers, and philosophers came up with many concepts, but sometime in the 1860’s James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish physicist, proposed the concept of electromagnetism. He concluded, because light moves in waves and does not need a medium to travel through, light must be made up of both electric and magnetic fields. This led to the discovery of electromagnetic radiation, the electromagnetic spectrum, and a way to measure light with its frequency and wavelength. The electromagnetic spectrum starts with safe radiation like radio, microwave, infrared, visible, and ultraviolet and ends with the not-as-safe x-ray and gamma rays.
The human eye can see wavelengths of light that range from 380 to 700 nanometers, but the human body can feel parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that cannot be seen, such as infrared heat.
Many wellness services employ light or heat therapy; two of the most popular are red light therapy and infrared heat. Both infrared and red light therapy is becoming progressively popular in the spa, wellness, and beauty realms and is often confused. Still, they are different, and they do provide different benefits.
For ideal health, we humans require regular exposure to light. A great example is Vitamin D which comes from sunlight. The sun’s n rays include the more commonly known ultraviolet light (UV), but more than half of its output is infrared. When it comes to visible light, violet-colored light produces the most energy, and red-colored light provides the least.
As mentioned above, this spectrum classifies each form of energy by nanometers and its effect on the human physique. Nanometers are a unit of length equivalent to a billionth of a meter, and they are used to measure the wavelength of light. Since we’re comparing red light to infrared, it’s important to note their order on the spectrum.
The wavelength infrared puts out is longer than the wavelength of red light, allowing infrared to penetrate more deeply into the body. Thus, the reason infrared provides some similar but some completely different benefits than red light. The science behind these concepts has been around for centuries. In the 1800–the 1900s, physician, and scientist Niels Ryberg Finsen researched and successfully implemented light therapy to treat smallpox, later winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology 1903 for his work. In 1910 John Harvey Kellogg also researched and wrote about red light and infrared heat benefits in his book “Light Therapeutics.” NASA then utilized red LED lights for plant growth on trips to space and noticed the astronauts also positively affected their mood, healing, and wound treatment. NASA also used infrared heat to provide the astronauts with cardiovascular conditioning, and since then, both have become available as effective wellness services.
Although infrared is classified as light energy, we don’t see it; we feel it as warmth. Because all humans produce infrared, it’s safe, natural, and easily absorbed by our tissues. During and after absorption, participants notice effects such as pain relief, increased circulation and blood flow, weight loss, detoxification, skin rejuvenation, relaxation, improved sleep, and more. Still, those are just a few of the benefits! For millennia, people worldwide have used infrared to improve their health and assist with boosting the metabolism, reducing inflammation, lowering side effects of diabetes, reducing allergy symptoms, improving heart function, and bettering their quality of life. How does infrared do it? When it enters the body, it breaks up fats and toxins trapped in water molecules, it makes us sweat to let them out, and therefore, an infrared session is one of the best ways you can naturally detox your body!
Tissues that don’t receive great circulation because they have been injured can benefit greatly as infrared heat can provide healing and skin regeneration. Infrared heat promotes the rebuilding of injured tissue by positively affecting the fibroblasts (connective tissue cells necessary for repair), increasing the growth of cells, and DNA and protein synthesis necessary during tissue repair and regeneration. This increased circulation, along with increased blood flow and oxygenation, can also provide relief for those experiencing chronic pain and other conditions.
Residing right next to near-infrared on the spectrum. Many red-light therapy systems use small amounts of infrared along with red LED lights, and as we’ve uncovered, infrared penetrates deeply while red light works on the surface of the skin. While penetrating the surface, this light energy works on rejuvenating facial skin, smoothing skin tone, building collagen, reducing wrinkles, and repairing sun damage. Experts say it can also assist in activating the lymphatic system, decreasing inflammation, fading scars, and stretch marks, and it may also assist with hair growth or loss prevention. How do you ask? Red light has been known to stimulate cellular processes in the skin and positively affect them by regenerating fibroblasts, keratinocytes, and skin tissue.
Red Light Therapy is viral for stimulating collagen production as the nanometers needed for collagen production are in the 700nm range. Because of its ability to assist with collagen production, those with arthritis may greatly benefit. Red light facials or body treatments are offered in salons, spas, and wellness centers to beautify the skin, relieve pain, increase immunity and stimulate feelings of positivity.
As you’ve noticed, there are similarities between infrared and red light. They are both natural, drug and chemical-free, non-invasive, effortless, safe, and users have reported no adverse short or long-term side effects. Actually, users report amazing effects! While both therapies are beneficial, the type you should choose depends on the outcome you desire. If you want to treat skin conditions on the surface, a red light session may be effective, but if the skin condition is high toxicity in the body, an infrared session may be required for toxin removal. An infrared session is a more holistic solution to wellness because it can provide skin rejuvenating benefits (like red light). Still, it can also help you burn calories, release toxins, ease pain, and put you in a state of utter relaxation.
Researchers at NCI’s Center for Cancer Research have found that a technique called near-infrared immunotherapy for treating cancer has the potential to kill cancer cells in record time, essentially destroying them with the flick of a light switch. Scientists were not certain of the underlying mechanisms of this approach. Still, they succeeded in elucidating this technique in detail at the cellular and molecular level, gaining insights that could help scientists further boost the novel treatment's effectiveness. The laboratory and mouse findings, by Hisataka Kobayashi, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Molecular Imaging Program, and colleagues appeared November 6, 2018, in ACS Central Science.
Near-infrared immunology is an emerging technique for treating cancer that is already being studied in clinical trials. It involves identifying a protein called an antibody that recognizes and targets a specific type of cancer cell. The antibody is joined to a compound that’s sensitive to light and then administered to a patient. Within the body, the drug seeks out and attaches to only cancer cells, not healthy ones. Next, doctors apply a beam of infrared light to the cancer site, either externally or directly, using a fiber optic needle, which activates the drug and causes them to die. Research by Dr. Kobayashi and his colleagues reveals new details into how this cell death occurs.
To learn more about this phenomenon's molecular mechanisms, they studied the effects of a near-infrared immunotherapy agent called antibody-IR700 on a plate simulating human cancer cells in a petri dish using sophisticated microscopes. The researchers discovered that exposure to near-infrared light causes the immunotherapy agent to change its form from Y-shaped to globular dramatically. When it is embedded in a cancer cell's cell membrane, this warping causes scratches along the cell's protective casing. Once enough scratches occur, liquid bursts through the cell’s membrane, causing the cell to rupture in less than a minute following exposure to the light.
The researchers also studied this technique in a mouse with multiple tumors, applying different light intensity amounts to each tumor. They found that higher light intensity resulted in more cancer cells being eliminated. In mice, they detected the “leftovers” of the immunotherapy agent in the mouse’s urine just hours after near-infrared light was applied to the cancer site — a strong indication that the cancer cells were killed.
Dr. Kobayashi notes that this technique doesn’t just target cancer cells or boost the immune system to attack cancer cells — it does both. “All the cell’s proteins and even its DNA are exposed to the immune system. The immune system will recognize that [the proteins and DNA are] coming from the dying cell, and then the immune system will react only to the dying cancer cells,” he explains.
Near-infrared immunotherapy could be applied to any cancer if the right antibody is identified and used. In this study, the researchers analyzed the near-infrared immunotherapy agent IR-700, which is about to be tested in phase III clinical trials for head and neck cancer.
Although the concept of near-infrared immunotherapy is compelling, understanding why it works is critical for several reasons. Kobayashi explains, “Based on these new insights, we might be able to design a new, superior IR700 that would be improved in many respects, such as activation wavelength, stability, and cytotoxic efficacy.”
Destroying cancer cells without damaging normal cells nor compromising the host immune system is a significant benefit of NIR-PIT. Additionally, NIR-PIT induces ICD; that is, it initiates host immunity against targeted cancer cells. NIR-PIT-treated cancer cells release death signals, including calreticulin, ATP, and HMGB1, which can activate adjacent immature DCs even in tumor beds. These signals promote the maturation of immature DCs, which engulf cancer-specific antigens that are released from the ruptured tumor cell, and these mature DCs prime and educate naive T cells to become cancer-specific CD8+ T cells. Such newly primed cancer-specific CD8+ T cells proliferate and attack other cancer cells, resulting in an amplified host anti-tumor immune response. This consequential process could convert some non-immunogenic tumors into immunogenic tumors by recognizing massively released neo-antigens.
This anti-tumor immune activation occurs first in the treated tumor site. Eventually, it extends to other cancer sites because immune cells migrate throughout the body, resulting in a systemic immune response. Therefore, although NIR-PIT is a local therapy, the effect of NIR-PIT can be systemic and may affect distant metastatic sites. Indeed, some tumor-bearing mice and cancer patients achieve complete remission after a single therapy of cancer-cell-targeted NIR-PIT.
An important feature of host immune activation induced by NIR-PIT is that this therapy simultaneously activates the immune system against multiple antigens released from ruptured cancer cells. Most current targeted immunotherapies, including cancer vaccines or CAR-T therapies, identify a single target molecule to base the therapy. Having multiple clones of anti-tumor T cells, each responding to unique antigen, results in a more comprehensive response to tumors expressing a broad spectrum of cancer-specific neo-antigens.
NIR-PIT has demonstrated a profound immune response in humans. First-in-human Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials of NIR-PIT with cetuximab–IR700 targeting EGFR in patients with recurrent and advanced head and neck squamous cell cancer were completed in 2016 and late 2017, respectively. Several complete remissions and multiple significant partial remissions were reported in these studies. The results far exceeded those of pre-clinical models in immune-deficient host xenograft models. Once the models were transferred to syngeneic models, a robust immune response was demonstrated. There is considerable evidence that this same response is seen in humans.
