title: Ultra-weak delayed luminescence in cancer research: a review of the results by the ARETUSA equipment.
abstract: The study of the photoinduced ultraweak photon emission in the optical wavelength range, namely the Delayed Luminescence, from human cells and tissues has an increasingly growing interest in view of its possible application in optical biopsy. Due to the low level, dedicated experimental set-up are necessary to reveal such photoluminescence signal. The paper reviews the results obtained in the field of cancer research, by using the experimental equipment for fast ultraweak luminescence analysis ARETUSA developed at the National Southern Laboratories of the National Nuclear Physics Institute (LNS-INFN), in Catania, Italy. Delayed Luminescence signals from normal and cancer cells are compared and the relationship between Delayed Luminescence and apoptosis is investigated.
authors.affiliation: Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; National Southern Laboratories, National Nuclear Physics Institute, Catania, Italy. Electronic address: scordino@lns.infn.it.
authors.forename: Agata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scordino
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Biophysics, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Baran
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Architecture Faculty, "Kore" University of Enna, Enna, Italy; National Southern Laboratories, National Nuclear Physics Institute, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gulino
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Biophysics, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Constanta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ganea
authors.affiliation: National Southern Laboratories, National Nuclear Physics Institute, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grasso
authors.affiliation: BioFoton AG, Treyvaux, Switzerland.
authors.forename: J Hugo
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Niggli
authors.affiliation: Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; National Southern Laboratories, National Nuclear Physics Institute, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Musumeci
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D006801:Humans; D008163:Luminescent Measurements / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Apoptosis; Cancer diagnosis; Leukemia treatments; Modelling data; Photon detection; Ultraweak luminescence