Nanomaterials in Anticancer Photodynamic Therapy

Dear Colleagues,

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) – the use of light to excite photoactive molecules (photosensitizers: PSs) whose subsequent relaxation and energy transfer result in the production of highly cytotoxic reactive oxygen species – has proven a potent and minimally invasive means of treating a variety of cancers that include pancreatic, esophageal, respiratory tract, and non-melanoma skin cancer. Broader oncologic application of PDT, however, has been limited by the technique’s restricted treatment depth, significant PS hydrophobicity and side effects, absence/inefficiency of tumor targeting, and non-therapeutic activation by ambient light sources (natural and man-made) prior to PS clearance. Recent efforts have sought to mitigate, circumvent, or preclude these limitations via nanoplatform delivery of PSs, exploiting the nanoplatform’s environmental shielding of its therapeutic moieties to minimize systemic/collateral toxicity and the nanoplatform’s expansive, readily functionalized surface to enable targeting ligand conjugation, immune surveillance escape, and PS controlled release/activation. This Special Issue of Nanomaterials presents the current state-of-the-art nanoplatform-based PDT materials and methods in both clinical and preclinical settings. Potential areas of interest for this Special Issue include (but are not limited to):

• Novel Materials and Syntheses (e.g., metal-organic frameworks, organic/inorganic hybrids, self-assembling platforms, smart materials, bio-metamaterials);
• Novel Cancer-Targeting Moieties and Strategies (e.g., tumor microenvironment targeting, evasion of immune surveillance, immune system activation, and synergism);
• Novel Therapeutic Release/Activation Mechanisms (smart/autonomous, internal excitation, external control/activation via x-ray/two-photon/ultrasonic/electromagnetic field);
• Enhancements in Nanoplatform Biodistribution, Bioelimination, and Biocompatibility
• Enhancements in Physiological Barrier Penetration (e.g., Blood–Brain Barrier, Mucosal Barrier, Tumor Stroma, Intratumoral Pressure Gradient);
• Advances in Combinational Therapy (e.g., co-delivery of PDT with chemotherapeutics or immunotherapeutics) and Image Guidance (e.g., real-time monitoring of nanoplatform accumulation within tumors during treatment).

Dr. Jeffrey S. Souris
Guest Editor

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