Researchers at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College have been working with dogs suffering from thyroid cancer in a clinical trial for a new high-tech cancer treatment.

This treatment, called “search and destroy,” is a targeted, non-surgical therapy that uses nanotechnology and lasers to locate and attack tumors.

Light-activated nanoparticles called porphysomes are injected into the bloodstream and then they collect on tumors and other areas where cancer has spread.  The particles are located, and then a special near-infrared laser is directed at the nanoparticles, activating them to destroy the cancerous tissue.

Veterinarians working on the study say that the procedure is less invasive and damaging than surgery. Right now, the trial is limited to dogs with thyroid cancer. They are hopeful that this procedure can also work on humans and will be especially useful for cancers in areas (like the head and neck) that are hard to reach with traditional surgery.