We are testing photodynamic therapy as treatment option for cancer through a combination of non-toxic dyes and visible light. PDT may be the ideal cancer treatment because it can destroy the primary tumor whilst at the same time priming the immune system to attack metastases.Based on the fact that most cancers have a high population of macrophages, we designed a photosensitizer that specifically targets the macrophage scavenger receptor which is highly expressed in cancer macrophages.In another project, we are investigating the immune response after combination of photodynamic therapy and immunostimulants or cell lines transfected with immune active genes in two animal models.
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