Johns Hopkins chemists have discovered a new way to sabotage DNA’s ability to reproduce, a finding that could eventually lead to the development of more targeted anti-cancer drugs and therapies.

They created a synthetic, double-stranded DNA with special chemical characteristics and exposed it to long wavelength light that selectively switches on the DNA damage process.

The synthetic DNA is very similar to that which is produced when cells are exposed to radiation, with one exception: Greenberg’s team’s DNA was damaged at only one place on its chain, allowing the researchers to study it and learn about that particular chemical pathway in detail.

Johns Hopkins University news release