Porphycene for cancer photochemotherapy and other biomedical applications

The photodynamic therapy (PDT) or photochemotherapy of cancer is a treatment modality that uses a photosensitizing drug with tumor-localizing properties. Irradiation of the tumor cells with light results in the formation of highly reactive, cytotoxic oxygen species that induce the death of malignant cells. The development of new photosensitizers for localization and treatment of tumors is a research area or current interest, parallelled by the development of novel non-oncological applications of these drugs. Our group is focused on the study and development of porphycenes, structural isomers of porphyrins, with better photochemical and photosensitizing properties. Porphycenes are highly attractive candidates to be used as photosensitizers for PDT and other biomedical applications.status: publishe