In Situ Nonlinear Photon Conversion by Biological Medium to Produce Photodynamic Therapy

Background:

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) uses light to photoactivate drugs at the site of tumors causing a burst of free radicals which damage the tumor.  The procedure has been used clinically for decades because of its ability to specifically target tumor regions.  Unfortunately the light wavelengths which activate the drugs best do not penetrate tissue well.  This forces PDT to be restricted to easily accessible tumors, such as oral cancer.  Frustratingly, infrared light, which does penetrate tissue well, does not activate drugs efficiently.

Technology Overview:

Dr. Prasad's group's laser system emits near infrared (NIR) beams which penetrate deep into the body.  The beams interact with the tumor environment to produce visible light through a process known as Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) and Four-Wave Mixing.  By tuning the lasers properly, the light created by SHG and Four-Wave Mixing can be made at the wavelength and location needed to activate the best PDT drugs and kill the tumor cell.  The end result is to vastly expand the applications for an effective cancer treatment already in clinical use.

Advantages:

• Uses existing PDT drugs
• Deeper tissue penetration for remote or thick tumors
• Takes advantage of naturally occurring molecules found abundantly in tumors
• Highly localized effect increasing specificity
• Treats the entire tumor homogeneously
• Reduces concentration of photosynthesizers required for PDT

Applications:

Used as an oncological treatment.

Intellectual Property Summary:

US Patent Application US20170050045A1

Stage of Development:

TRL 4 -Validation in a laboratory environment.