About this Research Topic
Optical molecular diagnosis and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are effective methods for precision diagnosis and treatment of tumors. Optical molecular imaging technology can reflect the physiological and pathological changes of tumors at the molecular and cellular level, which is conducive to the early diagnosis of cancer; PDT has no cross-resistance, and it has the dual targeting characteristics of molecules and lasers, and is suitable for adjuvant cancer treatment. The commonality of the two is that they both use the photochemical reaction of specific photosensitive substances in the organism. However, the current development of tumor photodiagnosis and PDT is limited by the poor penetration of light in the organism, the low oxygen content in tumors, the limited effect of photosensitive drugs targeting tumor cells and the unelucidated mechanism. In recent years, the research of photosensitizers excited by NIR II or X-rays, targeting tumor biomarkers (such as CD44, CD133), cooperating with various targeted drugs, and exploring anti-tumor mechanisms such as ferroptosis have greatly advanced transformation of achievements in this field from basic to clinical. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce the recent achievements of photomedicine from the above perspective.
At present, the basic and translational research of optical molecular diagnosis and photodynamic therapy are mainly focused on the construction of new multifunctional nanomaterials, combinational targeted therapy or immunotherapy, and molecular mechanisms related to photochemical reactions. Therefore, this Research Topic aims to introduce the research progress of multifunctional nanoparticles (e.g., multimodal metal photosensitizer), combined strategies (e.g., PD-L1 combined PDT), and related molecular mechanisms (e.g., PDT regulating NRF2 to induce cellular ferroptosis) for optical molecular diagnosis and treatment, so as to promote the transformation of tumor photomedicine from basic to clinical.
We welcome submissions of Review, Mini-Review and Original Research articles covering, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Optical diagnostic molecular technology for accurate imaging of tumors in the early or perioperative period.
• Optical molecular diagnosis or photodynamic therapy related clinical research.
• Targeting and synergistic nanoparticles that can be used for photodynamic therapy.
• Sensitization and tolerance mechanisms related to photodynamic therapy and its combined treatment strategy.
• Mining and verification of potential photodynamic targets or drugs combined with high-throughput data analysis.
• Advances in photoimmunotherapy and imaging-guided cancer surgery using optical agents.
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
At present, the basic and translational research of optical molecular diagnosis and photodynamic therapy are mainly focused on the construction of new multifunctional nanomaterials, combinational targeted therapy or immunotherapy, and molecular mechanisms related to photochemical reactions. Therefore, this Research Topic aims to introduce the research progress of multifunctional nanoparticles (e.g., multimodal metal photosensitizer), combined strategies (e.g., PD-L1 combined PDT), and related molecular mechanisms (e.g., PDT regulating NRF2 to induce cellular ferroptosis) for optical molecular diagnosis and treatment, so as to promote the transformation of tumor photomedicine from basic to clinical.
We welcome submissions of Review, Mini-Review and Original Research articles covering, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Optical diagnostic molecular technology for accurate imaging of tumors in the early or perioperative period.
• Optical molecular diagnosis or photodynamic therapy related clinical research.
• Targeting and synergistic nanoparticles that can be used for photodynamic therapy.
• Sensitization and tolerance mechanisms related to photodynamic therapy and its combined treatment strategy.
• Mining and verification of potential photodynamic targets or drugs combined with high-throughput data analysis.
• Advances in photoimmunotherapy and imaging-guided cancer surgery using optical agents.
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
Keywords: Molecular imaging, photodynamic, nanoparticles, photosensitizer, molecular targets
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
