Conventional pancreatic cancer treatments face a critical hurdle due to the dense tumour microenvironment (TME).
This biological barrier surrounds the tumour, severely limiting the infiltration of chemotherapy agents and immune cells.
While photodynamic therapy (PDT) offers a promising alternative, existing external light sources, such as lasers, fail to penetrate deep tissues effectively and pose risks of thermal damage and inflammation to healthy organs.
To address these challenges, Professor Keon Jae Lee’s team at KAIST, in collaboration with Professor Tae-Hyuk Kwon at UNIST, developed an implantable, shape-morphing 3D micro-LED device capable of effectively delivering light to deep tissues.
The key technology lies in the device’s flexible, octopus-like architecture, which allows it to wrap around the entire pancreatic tumour.
This mechanical compliance ensures uniform light delivery to the tumour despite the tumour’s physiological expansion or contraction, enabling continuous, low-intensity photostimulation that precisely targets cancer cells while preserving normal tissue.
In in-vivo experiments involving mouse models, the device demonstrated remarkable therapeutic efficacy.
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Within just three days, tumour fibrous tissue was reduced by 64%, and the pancreatic tissue successfully reverted to normal tissue, overcoming the limitations of conventional PDT.
Prof. Keon Jae Lee said, “This research presents a new therapeutic paradigm by directly disrupting the tumour microenvironment, the primary obstacle in pancreatic cancer treatment.” He added, “We aim to expand this technology into a smart platform integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time tumour monitoring and personalised treatment. We are currently seeking partners to advance clinical trials and commercialization for human application.”
Professor Tae-Hyuk Kwon commented, “While phototherapy is effective for selective cancer treatment, conventional technologies have been limited by the challenges of delivering light to deep tissues and developing suitable photosensitizers.” He added, “Building on this breakthrough, we aim to expand effective immune-based therapeutic strategies for targeting intractable cancers.”
The result, titled “Deeply Implantable, Shape-Morphing, 3D MicroLEDs for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy,” was featured as the cover article in Advanced Materials (Volume 37) on December 10, 2025.
Source: The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
