PHOTOCHEMOTHERAPY: SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL PHOTOSENSITIZERS

MOLECULAR PROBES, INC., INTENDS TO SYNTHESIZE AND SPECTRALLY CHARACTERIZE A LARGE VARIETY OF LONG-WAVELENGTH, PREDOMINANTLY CATIONIC DYES FOR EVALUATION AS POSSIBLE PHOTOSENSITIZERS IN PHOTOCHEMOTHERAPY. SELECTIVE ACCUMULATION OF CATIONIC DYES IN CARCINOMA CELLS HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN DEMONSTRATED. THE SCREENING OF ALL NEW SYNTHETIC DYES IN VITRO FOR THEIR TOXICITY WITH AND WITHOUT ILLUMINATION WILL BE PERFORMED. THE MOST EFFECTIVE NEW DYESWILL BE FURTHER EVALUATED IN VIVO FOR THEIR DARK TOXICITY, KINETICS OF LOADING, AND MECHANISM AND EXTENT OF PHOTOTOXICITY. THE RESULTS OF THIS COLLABORATION WILL BE USED TO GUIDE SYNTHETIC EFFORTS FOR IMPROVED PHOTOSENSITIZERS WITH GREATERTUMOR SELECTIVITY, HIGHER ACCUMULATION IN CARCINOMA CELLS, BETTER RETENTION, AND REDUCED TOXICITY FROM DYES CURRENTLY USED IN PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY, SUCH AS HEMATOPORPHYRIN DERIVATIVE.