In vivo wireless photonic photodynamic therapy
Menée in vitro et à l'aide d'un modèle murin, cette étude met en évidence l'intérêt thérapeutique d'un dispositif électronique à LED implantable dans la tumeur et générant, sous l'action de radiofréquences, une lumière qui active la chlorine e6
The low penetration of light through tissue currently limits the therapeutic depth of photodynamic therapy (PDT) to less than a centimeter, even at near-infrared wavelengths. We report a wireless photonic approach to PDT in which miniaturized implantable devices deliver controlled doses of light by wireless powering through thick tissue. We demonstrate targeted cancer therapy with this approach by activating light-sensitive drugs deep in the body and suppressing tumor activity in vivo in animal models. The versatility in light delivery enabled by this approach extends the spatial and temporal precision of PDT to regions deep within the body.An emerging class of targeted therapy relies on light as a spatially and temporally precise stimulus. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinical example in which optical illumination selectively activates light-sensitive drugs, termed photosensitizers, destroying malignant cells without the side effects associated with systemic treatments such as chemotherapy. Effective clinical application of PDT and other light-based therapies, however, is hindered by challenges in light delivery across biological tissue, which is optically opaque. To target deep regions, current clinical PDT uses optical fibers, but their incompatibility with chronic implantation allows only a single dose of light to be delivered per surgery. Here we report a wireless photonic approach to PDT using a miniaturized (30 mg, 15 mm3) implantable device and wireless powering system for light delivery. We demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of this approach by activating photosensitizers (chlorin e6) through thick (>3 cm) tissues inaccessible by direct illumination, and by delivering multiple controlled doses of light to suppress tumor growth in vivo in animal cancer models. This versatility in light delivery overcomes key clinical limitations in PDT, and may afford further opportunities for light-based therapies.