Study Finds Biofield Therapy Slows Pancreatic Cancer Progression and Reduces Metastasis

Landmark Preclinical Study Suggests Biofield Therapy May Alter Key Cancer Pathways, Offering New Hope in Fight Against One of the Deadliest Cancers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Biofield therapy (BT)—a non-invasive, practitioner-administered therapy—can significantly slow the growth and spread of pancreatic cancer in pre-clinical models, according to a new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and funded by Emerald Gate Charitable Trust. The findings, published today in Cancer Medicine, mark one of the most comprehensive investigations to date on the biological effects of BT.

Conducted over four years, the preclinical study demonstrated that BT significantly reduced cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. Notably, it reduced metastasis to the liver in mouse models by more than 50% in repeated studies. The results point to its potential as a complementary treatment strategy for one of the most lethal and treatment-resistant cancers.

The study also showed BT triggered changes in mitochondrial structure (swelling and disordered cristae), shifts in cell membrane potential toward hyperpolarization, and downregulation of key cancer-related genes, including FOXM1, a key driver of cancer growth and spread.

Biofield therapies are widely used in integrative medicine, but their biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. The study involved exposing multiple human and mouse pancreatic cancer cell lines as well as patient-derived tumor organoids to BT in vitro. In three separate mouse models using both human and mouse pancreatic cell lines, BT also substantially reduced the number of liver metastases in vivo in animals—an effect comparable to that of the chemotherapy group.

To ensure rigor, the team used strict experimental controls — including sham, incubator, and animal colony control groups — and worked with three independent biofield practitioners.

The researchers focused on pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal malignancies with 10% or less survival rate over 12 months for those with metastatic disease, because it represents a uniquely urgent challenge for medicine.

"We started with preclinical models so we could be sure there was no placebo effect,” said Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, co-lead author and Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at UT MD Anderson. “We saw a consistent, meaningful reduction in tumor invasiveness and metastasis, suggesting further work is warranted to understand the mechanisms of how biofield therapies work and if they have a role in cancer care.”

The team is continuing to investigate potential mechanisms underlying the effects seen in this study, including electromagnetic field interactions, cell signaling pathways, immune modulation, epigenetic effects, and even quantum biology.

“Our findings suggest there is real biological impact from biofield therapy,” said Dr. Peiying Yang, Professor of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine at UT MD Anderson and co-lead author of the study. “The results are not only measurable—they’re repeatable across different therapists, models, and experiments.”

The preclinical BT study raises new hypotheses and sets the stage for human clinical trials and deeper mechanistic exploration that will bring a greater understanding of the impacts of BT on cancer. This could open new doors for how we understand cancer and its treatment, especially in combination with standard care, but also for how we approach health and healing more broadly, the authors explained.

Funding for this study was provided by the Emerald Gate Charitable Trust.

About the Emerald Gate Charitable Trust: The Emerald Gate Charitable Trust is a fully-funded charitable operating foundation focused on human transformation through expansion of the conscious mind. The team is orchestrating a multi-year comprehensive scientific research agenda at the intersection of consciousness, physics, and biology in partnership with Tier 1 research institutions globally.