# WEB-050 — 100 GHz: mitochondrial injury in a cancer-cell model

Why this matters
Understanding which cells respond, and which do not, is essential when investigating a biological effect. These experiments linked cancer-cell injury to membrane and mitochondrial changes, while the fibroblast comparator remained largely unchanged. The selective response is part of the finding, not a detail to leave out.

Id: WEB-050

Author: Sun et al.

Full Authors: Liu Sun; Wenxia Wang; Shuocheng She; Lei Wang; Jinwu Zhao; Pandeng Hou; Mingxia He

Year: 2026

Title: Terahertz Waves Trigger Apoptosis in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma via Apoptosis-Inducing Factor Mediated Mitochondrial Pathway

Journal: Cells

Citation: Liu Sun; Wenxia Wang; Shuocheng She; Lei Wang; Jinwu Zhao; Pandeng Hou; Mingxia He. Terahertz Waves Trigger Apoptosis in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma via Apoptosis-Inducing Factor Mediated Mitochondrial Pathway. Cells. 2026. doi:10.3390/cells15090810.

Doi: 10.3390/cells15090810

Pmid: 42121913

Topic: Sub-terahertz biological responses; Mitochondrial membrane responses; Cell-type susceptibility

Verification Group: Original text reviewed

Record Role: Original text reviewed

Featured: False

Exposure: 100 GHz source; reported output 88 mW, beam diameter 1.5 cm; key assays after 2 h. Output power is not a calibrated cellular absorbed dose.

Design: Mouse SCC-7 squamous carcinoma versus L-929 fibroblasts; viability, microscopy, ROS, calcium, mitochondrial and apoptosis assays.

Finding: SCC-7 cells showed mitochondrial dysfunction, increased ROS/calcium and apoptosis-related changes. L-929 cells did not show comparable changes.

Statistics: See the original results; effect sizes were not independently recalculated.

Boundary: Cancer-therapy mechanism study, not normal-tissue hazard. Abstract inconsistently describes caspase dependence; results report unchanged caspase-3 activity and discuss an AIF-associated alternative pathway. Temperature/dose reporting limits causal interpretation.

Related:  Related publication records: WEB-049.

Protection Question: Which exposure conditions reproduce this finding, and what would establish its relevance beyond the experimental model?

Access: Original methods/results and interpretation reviewed; raw data and supplements were not independently audited.

Locator: Original methods and results

Notice: Linked Europe PMC/PubMed notice fields checked 21 October 2026; no correction/retraction surfaced for this record. Publisher/citation screening is not exhaustive.

Funding: See original disclosure; funding details were not established in this check.

Conflicts: See original disclosure; no independently verified conflict assessment.

Source Url: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15090810

Retrieval Links: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15090810 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42121913/ | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13163063/

Verification Date: 2026-10-21

Discovery Id: TARGETED-20261021-23

Technology Tracks: 6g

Technology Connection: Higher-frequency laboratory biology relevant to investigating proposed future bands; not a test of a final 6G standard.

Publication Type: Original journal research

Study Setting: Cells / isolated tissue

Browse Categories: cells|cancer