The Concepts of Cellular Biophotonics and Cell Manipulation

When you hear the term biophotonics, you might correlate it with either a very boring physics lecture, or an attempt of New Age advocates to cross over into science and technology. In general, however, biophotonics is the study of how photons, or the elements of light, work and interact amongst other elements of biological systems. Cellular biophotonics, therefore, deals with how light can work for or against different biological phenomena. What interests scientists, however, is how cellular biophotonics and cell manipulation can come together.

All objects give off some degree of electromagnetic radiation, and living cells are no exception. In fact, some laboratory probes and instruments are built to detect the presence and strength of such biophotons. Mark, however, that such biophotons are not readily observed by the human eye, and their low energy can be detected only by photomultiplier tubes; biophotons emit less energy the more common phenomenon of bioluminescence, but more energy than black bodies.

How did Biophotonics Come to Be?

It was early in the twentieth century that scientists first noticed that living tissues were emitting photons. Some scientists believed that these photons could stimulate cell division and allow tissues to grow. As work progressed, scientists found enough basis for the hypothesis that the phenomenon was due to chemical reactions within the cell, which might include oxidation or the release of free radicals.

Recent work in biophotonics is often misconstrued as New Age hoopla. For instance, scientists from Germany’s University of Marburg are trying to market a biophotonic emission measuring device that can allow other scientists to quantify and qualify the nutritional value of certain foods, and gauge the ripeness of certain fruits and vegetables. This is based on the assumption that the higher the amount of biophotons in a food sample, the healthier its cells are, and perhaps the more nutritious it is.

How are Biophotons Produced?

Research has shown that the cytoplasm of a living cell is in a state of constant energy flux. Of the many chemical reactions that occur within a cell, two are of particular interest to scientists studying biophotonics: oxidative stress, which can arise because of the presence of free radicals or reactive oxygen species, and which can cause excitation of cell molecules; and catalysis of breakdown of molecules, which can allow formation of excited chemical species. These excitations can lead to photon release.

What can biophotons do? According to proponents of this field of scientific study, cell development might indeed be the end result of some biophoton releases. For instance, biophotons are thought to affect mitosis, or DNA division; some proponents even go as far as saying that the proteins involved in protecting DNA in the nucleus can detect biophoton levels, and can allow DNA division to occur if biophoton levels reach a certain minimum or maximum.

Other speculations made regarding biophotons see them as a means by which cells can communicate with each other, which might also suggest that organs can develop, an organisms can ensue from the action of biophotons. Because biophotons are produced in large amounts under oxidative stress, they might also serve as a distress signal that a cell is in trouble and in need of assistance.

What Does all this Bode for Cell Manipulation?

If biophotons are more than mere curiosities, then scientists might find a lot of work on their hands soon enough. In summary, proponents think that biophotons spur cell division and the development of living tissues and organisms. If scientists can find out how to stop biophotons from being produced, they can also find a way to halt cell division – especially indiscriminate cell division, such as in cancer. On the other hand, scientists can also find out how to produce more biophotons, they can hasten development of certain organisms or organ systems.

In order to find out how to manipulate biophotons, scientists have to manipulate cells, but find ways and means to do it delicately without disrupting normal cell activities, such as biophoton release. With even more advances in cell manipulation, scientists might even be able to duplicate the cell distress signal that biophotons are thought to be a part of: this can perhaps allow us to diagnose diseases better, right down to the cellular level; and it might allow the body to repair itself better because of clearer, better distress signals.

Whatever the case, cellular biophotonics and cell manipulation are two concepts that still need to be understood in detail individually, before they can be tied together. Thanks to more research, however, biophotonics may soon be a field that is universally recognized for its research merits – a field that will no longer be treated as New Age concepts gone awry, but one that is supported by studies in cell manipulation.