Animal heat activated cancer therapy by a traditional catalyst TiO₂-Pd/graphene composites

Cancer therapy is one of the most important challenges in clinical medicine. So far different methods have been developed for cancer therapy, such as radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy. Here we propose a new concept for cancer therapy, i.e., killing the cancer cells simply via reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by TiO₂-Pd/graphene composites. Activated by animal heat of 37 °C, the electrons in the valence band can be excited to the conduction band of TiO₂ via the energy levels of Pd species and graphene, generating ROS without light irradiation or electric excitation. The tumors in BALB/c mice are successfully regressed at animal heat without any other external conditions, such as radiation, UV, visible and IR irradiation. Our results suggest that the design of animal heat activated cancer therapy is a feasible concept for practical applications of cancer treatments.