Dr. Chen. Photo by Harjo Parnassus.

By Ryan Costello, The Vista Staff Writer

A UCO faculty member is in the midst of what may be groundbreaking cancer research on campus.

2008 National Professor of the Year and Assistant Dean of UCO’s College of Math and Science, Dr. Wei R. Chen is studying the benefits of a combined laser technology, called ‘laser immunotherapy’ as a cancer treatment.

Developed exclusively in Oklahoma, this new treatment approaches cancer using a method combing both a laser and an immunological agent.

The agent is given first, and aimed to stimulate the body’s immune system.

The laser then releases thermal energy that breaks the cancerous cells apart.

The destruction of a tumor’s cells leads to the release of an antigen that actually kills other cancerous cells, which the body’s immune system, when paired with the immunological agent, can use to specifically target other tumors.

According to Chen, this therapy “Uses the tumor itself to develop an anti-tumor vaccine,” inside the body.

What makes this developing treatment unique to others is its potential to eradicate tumors in multiple places at once.

Studies in Chen’s research have shown that when local treatments are applied, the antigens from the original destroyed tumors can eliminate cancerous cells across the body over time.

In one study, Chen’s team applied the treatment to a tumor in a human subject’s arm.

Eight months later, the antigens from the initial treatment had cleared a tumor from the same subject’s lung.

Chen said this could lead to the treatment of inoperable tumors in the future.

“The key is we don’t have to cut anything,” he said.

The laser immunotherapy treatment currently focuses on late-stage melanoma. American Skin Cancer Foundation defines late-stage melanoma as a malignant tumor that originates in melanocytes, the cells that produce the pigment melanin that colors human skin, hair, and eyes.

Although not the most common skin cancer, melanoma causes 79 percent of all skin cancer deaths because it can advance to other parts of the body.

Chen believes that this treatment could potentially be used to treat various forms of cancer. Chen is currently studying the treatment’s effectiveness on breast cancer.

In contrast to cancer treatment medical bills that cost Americans an estimated $92.3 billion in 2009, Chen noted that laser immunotherapy would be a cost-effective alternative to traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy.

“Definitely, it’s cheaper,” Chen said, attributing the treatment’s affordability to its efficiency and to the laser’s reusable nature.

Another of this new treatment’s myriad of benefits is its convenience to the patient. One cycle lasts six weeks, and involves little to no recovery or side effects. “So far all of our patients have been outpatient,” Chen said.

Chen’s research in laser immunotherapy began in 1992, while he was teaching at the Oklahoma School of Science and Math. The idea for the treatment was developed while Chen was working with Dr. Robert Nordquist, who Chen regards as his mentor.

Chen believes that UCO can sometimes be overlooked as a research center. The professor maintains that work being done by UCO faculty and students is on the cutting edge of research. “We can be proud of what we do here. Of what we can achieve,” Chen said.