Research and development of photodynamic therapy photosensitizers in China

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) started in the People's Republic of China in the early 1980s after hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD) was used in China as PDT photosensitizer in clinical PDT for the treatment of various cancers. Since then, numerous domestic photosensitizers have been synthesized and evaluated. In general, the research and development of PDT photosensitizers in China can be divided into two stages. Firstly, attention was focused on the development of mixed porphyrin preparations similar to HpD and Photofrin II, and the second stage was searching for new photosensitizers with definite structures. In the past 2 decades three mixed porphyrin preparations and a series of new photosensitizers with different structures were developed and entered into formal clinical trials in China. This manuscript will introduce past research and development activities in China and present published preclinical and clinical data of some promising photosensitizers.