Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 29, 2026

Anticancer Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy with Lung Cancer-Targeted Nanoparticles
Published on: December 1, 2016
Let There Be Light: Targeted Photodynamic Therapy Using High Aspect Ratio Plant Viral Nanoparticles
Paul L Chariou1,2, Lu Wang1,2, Cian Desai2
1Department of BioEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92039, USA.
Abstract:
The development of plant viral nanoparticles (VNP) loaded with different molecular versions of a photodynamic drug is described. Specifically, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and tobacco mild green mosaic virus (TMGMV) are developed as drug carriers that encapsulate the monocationic, dicationic, tricationic, and tetracationic versions of a porphyrin-based photosensitizer drug (Zn-Por). While TMV has been extensively explored for various nanotechnology applications, this is the first study investigating TMGMV for medical applications. Light-activated cancer cell killing of Zn-Por-loaded VNPs is studied in vitro using melanoma and cervical cancer models. Native and nucleolin-targeted VNP drug carriers are developed and their efficacy assessed. A fivefold increase in cancer cell killing is observed using nucleolin-targeted TMV loaded with tricationic Zn-Por and displaying the nucleolin-specific F3 peptide.
Related Concept Videos
Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Plant Tissue Culture
Light Acquisition
Plant Hormones
Light as Energy
Photons
A photon is a discrete electromagnetic particle or bundle of energy. Photons are characterized by their frequency, wavelength, and amplitude, similar to the properties of a wave. Waves with higher frequencies transmit more energy and have shorter wavelengths than longer wavelengths that transmit...

