Columbia University scientists, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard, have succeeded in developing a chemical process to convert infrared energy into visible light, allowing innocuous radiation to penetrate living tissue and other materials without the damage caused by high-intensity light exposure.
Their research is published in the January 17 issue of Nature.
"The findings are exciting because we were able to perform a series of complex chemical transformations that usually require high-energy, visible light using a noninvasive, infrared light source," said Tomislav Rovis, professor of chemistry at Columbia and co-author of the study. "One can imagine many potential applications where barriers are in the way to controlling matter. For example, the research holds promise for enhancing the reach and effectiveness of photodynamic therapy, whose full potential for managing cancer has yet to be realized."
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