Exposure to a specific time-varying electromagnetic field inhibits cell proliferation via cAMP and ERK signaling in cancer cells.
Buckner CA, Buckner AL, Koren SA, Persinger MA, Lafrenie RM. · 2017
View Original AbstractSpecific low-frequency EMF patterns selectively inhibited cancer cell growth while sparing healthy cells, revealing EMFs' potential therapeutic applications.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed multiple types of cancer cells to a specific low-frequency electromagnetic field pattern (25-6 Hz) for one hour daily and found it significantly slowed cancer cell growth without affecting healthy cells. The EMF exposure worked by altering specific cellular signaling pathways (cAMP and ERK) that control cell division. This suggests certain EMF patterns might have therapeutic potential for cancer treatment by selectively targeting malignant cells.
Why This Matters
This research represents a fascinating twist in EMF science - showing that specific electromagnetic field patterns can selectively harm cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched. The study used extremely low frequency fields (25-6 Hz) at low intensity, similar to what you might encounter from power lines or household wiring, but applied in a specific therapeutic pattern called Thomas-EMF. What makes this particularly significant is the selectivity: the same EMF exposure that inhibited growth in six different cancer cell lines had zero effect on normal cells. The researchers identified the precise cellular mechanisms involved, showing this wasn't a random effect but a targeted biological response. While this is laboratory research that doesn't translate directly to cancer treatment, it demonstrates that EMFs can have highly specific biological effects depending on their exact frequency patterns and timing - a reminder that not all EMF exposures are created equal.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 25-6 Hz Duration: 1 h/day
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate Exposure to a specific time-varying electromagnetic field inhibits cell proliferation via cAMP and ERK signaling in cancer cells.
We have shown that exposure to Thomas-EMF, a low-intensity, frequency-modulated (25-6 Hz) EMF patter...
These data indicate that exposure to the specific Thomas-EMF pattern can inhibit the growth of malignant cells in a manner dependent on contributions from the cAMP and MAP kinase pathways.
Show BibTeX
@article{ca_2017_exposure_to_a_specific_1928,
author = {Buckner CA and Buckner AL and Koren SA and Persinger MA and Lafrenie RM.},
title = {Exposure to a specific time-varying electromagnetic field inhibits cell proliferation via cAMP and ERK signaling in cancer cells.},
year = {2017},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29125193/},
}