Barnes Research Group
EMF & Cancer Cell Biology
A central focus of the group is understanding how static and alternating magnetic fields can alter the growth rates of cancer cells. We have demonstrated that reducing the static magnetic field from ambient levels (~45μT) to near-zero (<1μT) produces measurable changes in cancer cell proliferation — a finding with potential implications for non-invasive cancer treatment strategies. This work builds on earlier epidemiological studies of power line exposure and childhood leukemia, and connects to broader questions about how biological systems sense and respond to their electromagnetic environment.
Current investigations extend this work into cancer cell migration — the process by which cancer cells move and spread through tissue. Understanding how static magnetic fields influence migratory behavior has implications for metastasis research and opens new avenues for field-based approaches to limiting cancer spread.
Radical Pairs & Weak Field Sensing
A second line of research investigates the theoretical and experimental basis for how weak magnetic fields influence radical pair recombination rates in biological systems. Radical pairs — short-lived pairs of molecules with unpaired electrons — are sensitive to magnetic fields at surprisingly low intensities, making them a plausible mechanism by which living systems detect electromagnetic fields. Our theoretical work with Ben Greenebaum provides a foundation for understanding how field-induced changes in radical pair dynamics could alter radical concentrations in cells, with relevance to both safety assessment and therapeutic applications.
Radiofrequency Fields & Biological Safety
The group has long been engaged with questions about the biological effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, including those emitted by cell phones and wireless communication infrastructure. This work is of particular relevance to public health and safety standards, and connects to fundamental questions about how RF energy is absorbed and transduced by biological tissue. Professor Barnes' involvement in this area dates to early studies of microwave pulse effects on biological systems in the 1970s.
Background & History
Professor Barnes worked on design of lasers and laser surgery in the early 1960's and the effects of microwave pulse on biological systems in 1975. He was involved in the second epidemiology study of the effects of power lines on childhood leukemia and has been interested in understanding how weak electric and magnetic fields can be sensed by biological systems ever since. He and his students have shown that they can modify the growth of cancer cells by reducing the static magnetic field from 45μT to less than 1μT [Martino et al., 2010] and in a paper with Ben Greenebaum they provide a theoretical foundation for showing how weak magnetic fields could modify the recombination rates of radical pairs and concentrations of radicals in biological systems [Barnes and Greenebaum, 2015].
He has also been involved in evaluating energy storage systems for use in integrating renewable energy into the grid. He and his students have built lasers, flash lamps, superconductors, avalanche photodiodes and other electron devices and have also worked on the effects of electric and magnetic fields on biology and energy storage systems.