Promising research for effectiveness of photodynamic therapy

Scientists at Columbia University and Harvard have developed a chemical process that fuses two infrared photons into a single visible light photon. The “triplet fusion upconversion” produces low-energy infrared light and converts it into visible light that is then absorbed by solar panels, allowing innocuous radiation to penetrate living tissue and other materials without the damage caused by high-intensity light exposure.
Tomislav Rovis, professor of chemistry at Columbia and co-author of the study, said: “The findings are exciting because we were able to perform a series of complex chemical transformations that usually require high-energy, visible light using a non-invasive, infrared light source. One can imagine many potential applications where barriers are in the way to controlling matter. For example, the research holds promise for enhancing the reach and effectiveness of photodynamic therapy, whose full potential for managing cancer has yet to be realised. This new technology could bring PDT into areas of the body that were previously inaccessible. Rather than poisoning the entire body with a drug that causes the death of malignant cells and healthy cells, a nontoxic drug combined with infrared light could selectively target the tumour site and irradiate cancer cells.”
Luis M. Campos, associate professor of chemistry at Columbia, said: “With this technology, we were able to fine-tune infrared light to the necessary, longer wavelengths that allowed us to noninvasively pass through a wide range of barriers, such as paper, plastic moulds, blood and tissue. This opens up unprecedented opportunities to change the way light interacts with living organisms. In fact, right now we are employing upconversion techniques for tissue engineering and drug delivery.”