About this talk

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is offering a revolutionary new treatment option for a range of diseases, particularly cancers. By combining the skills of physicists and physicians, PDT uses light to kill living cells without damaging the structural integrity of the surrounding tissue. In this Discourse, laser medicine expert Stephen Bown draws on his decades of experience to explain how PDT works. Administering the drugs (photosensitisers) that sensitise tissues to light is relatively straightforward, but getting light to all relevant areas deep within the body is a major challenge. Endoscopes provide access to hollow organs, but ingenuity and detailed understanding of light scattering and absorption within solid tissues is required to deliver appropriate light doses everywhere within a target tissue. Stephen will further describe associated leading-edge developments, including cancer detection by photosensitiser fluorescence, the use of PDT as a "primer" to stimulate immunological responses to cancers and, at a very early stage of development, the concept that PDT might be able to offer a new approach to treating type 2 diabetes. Join us to discover one of the most exciting areas of development in clinical science. This event is in celebration of UCL200.

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