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Terahertz radiation has significant potential in medical diagnosis and treatment because its frequency range corresponds to the characteristic energy of biomolecular motion. Advantageously, terahertz-specific low energy does not cause the ionization of biomolecules. In this paper, we review several state-of-the-art terahertz biomedical techniques and results and suggest potential techniques that may be applicable in real-world clinics in the near future. First, some techniques for enhancing the penetration depth into wet biological tissues are surveyed. Endoscopy and otoscopy methods for approaching internal organs are then discussed. The operation principles of sensors utilizing terahertz radiation are explained, and certain sensing examples related to blood disorders, diabetes, and breathing conditions are presented. The greatest potential of terahertz radiation in biomedical applications so far has been in cancer imaging, because terahertz radiation is ideal for measuring the superficial soft tissues in which most cancers occur. The examples presented herein include skin, oral, gastric, breast, and brain cancers. In search of a cancer-specific signal using terahertz radiation, methylated malignant DNA has been found to exhibit a characteristic resonance at approximately 1.65 THz. This resonance may help treat cancer through the demethylation of malignant DNA using high-power terahertz irradiation at this specific frequency, as well as serving as a potential cancer biomarker.

Carcinogenesis involves the chemical and structural alteration of biomolecules in cells. Aberrant methylation of DNA is a well-known carcinogenic mechanism and a common chemical modification of DNA. Terahertz waves can directly observe changes in DNA because the characteristic energies lie in the same frequency region. In addition, terahertz energy levels are not high enough to damage DNA by ionization. Here, we present terahertz molecular resonance fingerprints of DNA methylation in cancer DNA. Methylated cytidine, a nucleoside, has terahertz characteristic energies that give rise to the molecular resonance of methylation in DNA. Molecular resonance is monitored in aqueous solutions of genomic DNA from cancer cell lines using a terahertz time-domain spectroscopic technique. Resonance signals can be quantified to identify the types of cancer cells with a certain degree of DNA methylation. These measurements reveal the existence of molecular resonance fingerprints of cancer DNAs in the terahertz region, which can be utilized for the early diagnosis of cancer cells at the molecular level.

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DNA methylation is a pivotal epigenetic modification of DNA that regulates gene expression. Abnormal regulation of gene expression is closely related to carcinogenesis, which is why the assessment of DNA methylation is a key factor in cancer research. Terahertz radiation may play an important role in active demethylation for cancer therapy because the characteristic frequency of the methylated DNA exists in the terahertz region. Here, we present a novel technique for the detection and manipulation of DNA methylation using terahertz radiation in blood cancer cell lines. We observed the degree of DNA methylation in blood cancer at the characteristic resonance of approximately 1.7 THz using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The terahertz results were cross-checked with global DNA methylation quantification using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We also achieved the demethylation of cancer DNA using high-power terahertz radiation at the 1.7-THz resonance. The demethylation degrees ranged from 10% to 70%, depending on the type of cancer cell line. Our results show the detection of DNA methylation based on the terahertz molecular resonance and the manipulation of global DNA methylation using high-power terahertz radiation. Terahertz radiation may have potential applications as an epigenetic inhibitor in cancer treatment, by virtue of its ability to induce DNA demethylation, similarly to decitabine.