Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light

Light plays a significant role in regulating the growth and development of plants. In addition to providing energy for photosynthesis, light provides other important cues to regulate a range of developmental and physiological responses in plants.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Exploring Endovascular Photo-Activated Ablation (EPA) for Downstaging Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Proof-of-Concept Study in the Normal Porcine Model.

Cancers·2025

Same author

Clinical assessment of a low-cost, hand-held, smartphone-attached intraoral imaging probe for 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy monitoring and guidance.

Journal of biomedical optics·2023

Same author

Clinical evaluation of smartphone-based fluorescence imaging for guidance and monitoring of ALA-PDT treatment of early oral cancer.

Journal of biomedical optics·2020

Same author

Photodynamic Therapy in Primary Breast Cancer.

Journal of clinical medicine·2020

Same author

Elastic scattering spectroscopy for early detection of breast cancer: partially supervised Bayesian image classification of scanned sentinel lymph nodes.

Journal of biomedical optics·2018

Same author

Photodynamic therapy for pancreatic carcinoma: experimental and clinical studies.

Photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy·2014

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

An In-House-Built and Light-Emitting-Diode-Based Photodynamic Therapy Device for Enhancing Verteporfin Cytotoxicity in a 2D Cell Culture Model

An In-House-Built and Light-Emitting-Diode-Based Photodynamic Therapy Device for Enhancing Verteporfin Cytotoxicity in a 2D Cell Culture Model

Published on: January 13, 2023

Photodynamic therapy for photochemists.

Stephen G Bown¹

¹National Medical Laser Centre, University College London, London, UK. s.brown@ucl.ac.uk

Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences

|June 19, 2013

Summary

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses light and a photosensitizer to treat diseased tissue. This technique offers good cosmetic results for early skin and mouth cancers and has potential in other medical areas.

Keywords:

cancer therapy lasers minimally invasive treatment photodynamic therapy

More Related Videos

LED-Based In Vitro Screening for Assessing Photoactivable Molecules in Bacterial Photodynamic Inactivation

LED-Based In Vitro Screening for Assessing Photoactivable Molecules in Bacterial Photodynamic Inactivation

Published on: January 24, 2025

An In Vitro Approach to Photodynamic Therapy

An In Vitro Approach to Photodynamic Therapy

Published on: August 17, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

An In-House-Built and Light-Emitting-Diode-Based Photodynamic Therapy Device for Enhancing Verteporfin Cytotoxicity in a 2D Cell Culture Model

An In-House-Built and Light-Emitting-Diode-Based Photodynamic Therapy Device for Enhancing Verteporfin Cytotoxicity in a 2D Cell Culture Model

Published on: January 13, 2023

LED-Based In Vitro Screening for Assessing Photoactivable Molecules in Bacterial Photodynamic Inactivation

LED-Based In Vitro Screening for Assessing Photoactivable Molecules in Bacterial Photodynamic Inactivation

Published on: January 24, 2025

An In Vitro Approach to Photodynamic Therapy

An In Vitro Approach to Photodynamic Therapy

Published on: August 17, 2018

Area of Science:

Oncology
Ophthalmology
Cardiology
Infectious Diseases

Background:

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an innovative treatment utilizing light activation of a photosensitizing agent in the presence of oxygen to target diseased tissue.
Unlike conventional treatments, PDT does not involve significant temperature changes, preserving the mechanical integrity of tissues like collagen, crucial for hollow organs.
Its distinct biological effects differentiate it from surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the current applications and future potential of photodynamic therapy (PDT).
To highlight PDT's efficacy in treating various cancers and other medical conditions.
To discuss emerging developments and the need for further research in PDT.

Main Methods:

Administration of a photosensitizing agent followed by light exposure to localized diseased tissue.
Evaluation of PDT's effects on tissue, focusing on its non-thermal biological impact.
Review of clinical outcomes and ongoing research in diverse medical fields.

Main Results:

PDT demonstrates significant value in treating pre-cancers and early-stage skin (non-melanoma) and oral cancers, yielding excellent cosmetic and functional results.
It is effective for localized cancers unsuitable for or recurrent after conventional therapies, including in previously irradiated areas.
Established use in ophthalmology for age-related macular degeneration, with growing potential in preventing arterial restenosis and treating accessible infectious diseases.

Conclusions:

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a versatile treatment with proven efficacy in oncology and ophthalmology, and promising applications in cardiovascular and infectious diseases.
Further research, including pre-clinical and clinical studies, is essential to fully establish PDT's role in routine medical practice.
Advancements in targeted drug delivery and immunotherapy integration are expanding the therapeutic horizons of PDT.