David Cunningham and Gail ter Haar have used this technique to treat liver cancer at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, while other groups in America, China and Japan, are using high-intensity sound to kill cancers in the prostate gland, uterus and brain.

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It is thought that the technique could now be adapted to treat patients with genetic diseases such as sickle cell anaemia.

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She used this technique in 1993 -- for the first time anywhere -- to treat farsightedness.

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The technique, known as 'photodynamic diagnosis', is already used to diagnose and treat other types of cancers, for example, certain skin cancers.

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Now that the technique appears to work with human cells, the process could be another source of generating stem cells that may ultimately treat patients, says Mitalipov.

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It was the first time the technique has been used in catheter ablation, where the organ's inner lining is ablated or "burned" to treat irregular heartbeats.

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