Photodynamic Therapy Case Study

Hugh Savagè has liver cancer. Chemotherapy failed, surgery failed. In a last ditch attempt to save his own life, Hugh signs up for a miracle trial using nanotechnology. In this trial, the widely-used chemotherapy drug Epirubicin was attached to nanodiamonds (carbon structures with a diameter of about five nanometres) to cultivate a nanodiamond-Epirubicin drug delivery complex (EPND). Researchers have found that while both the usual Epirubicin and EPND are capable of killing normal cancer cells, only EPND is capable of killing chemo resistant cancer stem cells and preventing secondary tumour formation in xenograft models of liver cancer.

. The minimally invasive and localised treatment utilize components that are non-toxic when used independently. The effects of PDT include damage to tumour vasculature, direct killing of tumour cells via cytotoxic activity, and inducing an antitumor reaction.

The therapeutic properties of light have a long history. The ancient Indians discovered, in 1,000 BCE that light therapy, in addition to psoralens, a plant compound, could cure vitiligo (Barr, H. et al., 2002). In the early 20th century, Niels Finsen’s and his wife’s treatment of lupus vulgaris with ultra-violet light notably earned them the Nobel Price (Barr, H. et al., 2002). A more modern application of light’s theraputic properties is photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy destroys tumours through the use of a photosensitizer, oxygen, and light in a wavelength specific to the photosensitizer (Brown & Ibbotson, 2009, p. 251; Barr, Kendall, Reyes-Goddard & Stone, 2002, p. 136). First, the photosensitizer is administered (Brown & Ibbotson,

Photodynamic Therapy is a treatment that uses drugs called Photosensitizing Agents and light to kill cancerous cells and treat certain skin disorders.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a therapeutic method that takes advantage of photochemical reactions between photosensitizing agents, light, and oxygen in order to deliver localized phototoxic effects.1, 2 Since its introduction into mainstream medicine, PDT has become a mainstay in treatment of certain dermatologic disorders such as actinic keratosis, Bowen’s disease, and acne.3 In dermatology, the process of PDT typically involves topical administration of photosensitizers, such as 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and methylaminolevulinate (MAL), which are taken up by target cells in the skin. Then, a light source with a specific wavelength is directed toward the target tissue causing activation of the photosensitizing agent. The release of energy from these activated photosensitizers leads to production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and localized phototoxicity causing selective cell apoptosis and necrosis.2 Because of its non-invasive nature, high efficacy, and low side effect profile, the use of PDT has gained popularity for treatment of many cutaneous diseases.

Nanotechnology offers enhanced localisation of treatment delivery to brain diseased sites, including hyperthermia, thermal ablation, as well as chemotherapeutic drug delivery and gene therapy. The procedure may also be monitored with various ionising or non-ionising imaging modalities. Theranostics is an emerging medical field that uses nanoparticles for combining diagnosis and treatment on a single nanoscale platform.

Photodynamic Diagnosis (PDD) or Fluorescence Diagnosis (FD) is designed on detection of premalignant lesions and cancer tumors through recording and evaluation of fluorescence emission profile. Photodynamic Diagnosis (PDD) is a modern method and a minimally invasive approach based on one of these processes: Autofluorescence of tissue, fluorescence of a chemiluminescence probe or fluorescence after local or systemic administration of a photosensitizer (PS), selectively accumulating in pathological foci. Necessary conditions for successful Photodynamic Diagnosis (PDD) are selectivity and good uptake of photosensitizer (PS) by the pathologic cells and providing possibility of real–time data processing, additionally high precision and sensitivity

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment that uses a drug, called a photosensitizer and a particular type of light. When photosensitizers are exposed to a certain wavelength of light, they produce a form of oxygen that kills nearby cells. Photodynamic Therapy is also a potential therapy for cancer treatment.

In this study,the success of siRNA-based gene theraphy in vitro is doubled by in-vivo studies.However,some researchers performing siRNA delivery in vivo in mice introduce naked siRNA by high-pressure tail injections [1]. High-pressure injections, however, would be fatal for humans and are not a realistic in vivo method of naked siRNA delivery [2].I would like to know if this gold nanoparticle conjugates might be same affect on human.Because of that,I suggest that gold particles should be tracked via MRI imaging after systemic injection to evaluate targeting or manipulated to target

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a new form of phototherapy using nontoxic photo sensitive compounds that are targeted to kill malignant and other diseased cells and also microbial cells, including bacteria, fungi and viruses. PDT is widely used in biomedical fields. It is used clinically to treat a wide range of medical conditions, including related macular degeneration and malignant cancers,[1] and is recognised as a treatment strategy which is both minimally invasive and minimally toxic. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses a photoresponsive agent and a light source such as laser or another type of light. The photosensitising agent is a chemical that makes the target cells sensitive to light. The photosensitising agent can be applied by injecting

Also, biotherapeutic therapy is similar to chemotherapy except that instead of delivering small molecular drugs (or metabolite ... etc.), biological agents such as DNA, small interfering RNA (siRNA), proteins, and peptides are delivered to tumor sites to induce apoptosis and cell death. In cancer, damaged DNA results in defect in protein expression causing deleterious effects. Cancer may be treated with DNA delivery by replacing the defective genes within cancer cells. Alternatively, cancer therapy via siRNA works by suppressing the protein expression of damaged genes. Protein and peptide therapy, on the other hand, operates by attacking specific cell mechanisms such as disrupting cell adhesion, interfering with angiogenesis, and/or blocking other

Scientists are still working continuously to develop better treatment options including more advanced forms of chemotherapy to control cancer, with the ultimate goal of a cure. According to the American Cancer Society, recent research includes new classes of chemotherapy, novel combinations of chemotherapy medications, and new routes of administering treatment. Some of the most exciting and promising approaches involve implantable chemotherapy, topical chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Gliadel wafers are an example of implantable chemotherapy used for brain tumors. Gliadel wafers are soaked with a chemotherapy drug. After a surgeon operates to remove the cancerous tissue in the brain, the surgeon implants several dime-sized wafers in the space where the tumor once was. The wafers destroy the remaining tumor cells. Over the following two to three weeks, the wafers slowly dissolve, bathing the surrounding cells with the chemo medication.

In recent years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as one of the promising alternative treatment for the management of chronic infection. PDT involves the use of a nontoxic drug or dye known as photosensitizers followed by local illumination with low-intensity visible light (Castano et al., 2004, Huang et al., 2008). Following absorption of light, the photosensitizer becomes activated from its ground state to an excited state and undergo intersystem crossing with oxygen to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as singlet oxygen and free radicals. Subsequently, these ROS mediate cellular toxicity via oxidative stress to cell membranes and other cellular components (Dolmans et al., 2003, Henderson and Dougherty, 1992). One of the key

Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is a promising method of the targeted radio- immunotherapy for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and extended to treat various solid cancers. Alpha-immuno-conjugate (AIC) is the diagnostic radiopharmaceutical compound used in clinical trials of TAT. Two essential elements of AIC must be included: a targeting antigen as a carrier that tends to attach to the molecules on the surface of a specific tumor cells; and an Alpha emitter that undergoes Alpha decay to damage the DNA of the targeted cell [1]. With the use of such a targeted high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation therapy, highly targeted treatment to microscopic tumor cells with AIC becomes an emerging option for local and systemic cancer

Cancer is an important health problem that has strongly increased over the past couple of decades. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1,638,910 people in the United States are diagnosed with cancer each year; that is around 187 people per minute. This disease is ranked as the second most common cause of death in America. With cancer being so common today, there needs to be an effective and relatively fast treatment plan to cure the victims of cancer without causing more harm to them. Extensive research and analysis is critical to determine the best method of treatment. Cancer can be fatal but recent advancement and better understanding of the disease has produced major triumph in overcoming the ailment. Aside from