Brian Wilson, PhD, Head, Division of Biophysics and Bioimaging, Ontario Cancer Institute, and Professor of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, wilson@uhnresearch.ca
Moderator: Irene Kochevar, PhD, Biochemist, Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor, Harvard Medical School, ikochevar@partners.org
The use of short-pulse (~100 fs), near-infrared laser activation of photosensitizers (simultaneous 2-photon activation) offers the potential for exquisite (diffraction limited) localization of photodynamic damage. The feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated and evaluated through 2-y spectroscopy of photosensitizer molecules, in vitro cell photocytotoxicity and in vivo responses of microvessels, using both the chick chorioallantoic membrane and dorsal skin window chamber models. A major challenge has been to synthesize photosensitizers with high 2-y cross-section, and this has been achieved using porphyrin dimer structures.
While 2-y PDT is conceptually
attractive, there are technological hurdles to implementing it for specific
medical applications, not the least of which is to identify applications
where there is enough added value for the complexity and cost of the
technique to be justified. Potential applications in ophthalmology,
dermatology and surgery will serve to frame this discussion.
PDT for Neovasculature
Tayyaba Hasan, PhD, Professor of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School; Director, Office for Research Career Development, Massachusetts General Hospital, thasan@partners.org
Moderator: Charles Lin, PhD, Associate Professor, Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital clin0@partners.org
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) of
neovasculature in best known for its application in the treatment of
Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Despite being broadly used for
AMD, the treatment remains imperfect requiring several treatments or
combinations with other agents. In addition to AMD, there are other applications
of eradication of pathological neovasculature, such as in the treatment
of cancer. This presentation will discuss strategies for optimizing vascularly-targeted
PDT outcomes.
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