Tag Archives: brain cancer

Modulight Spotlights: LASER-SHARP RESEARCH – March 2024

 Modulight Spotlights: LASER-SHARP RESEARCH – March 2024 Glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of brain tumor. It is hard to treat because of its invasion into functioning brain tissues, limited drug delivery due to blood-brain-barrier, and evolved treatment resistance. To address these challenges, a light-activated nanoformulation, called nanoVP, was developed for glioblastoma in a new study co-led by John Quinlan and Collin Inglut in Dr. Huang’s team at the University of Maryland. Published in a prestigious journal Advanced Science, this novel therapy resulted in an improved tumor control and survival Continue reading →

Carrier-Free, Amorphous Verteporfin Nanodrug for Enhanced Photodynamic Cancer Therapy and Brain Drug Delivery

Published in: Advanced Science Authors: John A. Quinlan, Collin T. Inglut, Payal Srivastava, Idrisa Rahman, Jillian Stabile, Brandon Gaitan, Carla Arnau Del Valle, Kaylin Baumiller, Anandita Gaur, Wen-An Chiou, Baktiar Karim, Nina Connolly, Robert W. Robey, Graeme F. Woodworth, Michael M. Gottesman, Huang-Chiao Huang University of Maryland  Published in: Advanced Science Authors: John A. Quinlan, Collin T. Inglut, Payal Srivastava, Idrisa Rahman, Jillian Stabile, Brandon Gaitan, Carla Arnau Del Valle, Kaylin Baumiller, Anandita Gaur, Wen-An Chiou, Baktiar Karim, Nina Connolly, Robert W. Robey, Graeme F. Woodworth, Michael M. Gottesman, Huang-Chiao Huang University of Maryland Glioblastoma (GBM) is hard to treat due to cellular invasion into functioning brain tissues, limited drug delivery, and evolved treatment resistance. Recurrence is nearly universal even after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves photosensitizer administration followed by light activation to generate reactive oxygen species at tumor sites, thereby killing cells or Continue reading →

Light penetration depth in brain with different photosensitizers

  Motivation for the study Glioblastoma is the most aggressive and lethal brain cancer with an average prognosis of 15 months. Fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) for glioblastoma was FDA-approved in 2017, while photodynamic therapy (PDT) remains an active area of clinical investigation with very promising results so far. The aim of PDT is to eradicate the invasive cancer cells within 2 cm of the resected area where the glioblastoma most often recurs. However, a significant hurdle of this therapy modality is the limited light penetration depth Continue reading →Customer case Research by: University of Maryland, Optical Therapeutics & Nanotechnology Laboratory led by Prof. Huang. Research focuses on precision cancer nanomedicine, drug delivery strategies, overcoming cancer resistance, mechanism-based combination therapies, site-directed photochemistry and fluorescence diagnostics. Modulight has started a joint R&D program with Dr. Huang lab to study novel EGFR-targeted combination therapy/diagnostic agent PIC-Nal-IRI developed by Huang lab. Modulight products: ML6600 laser system (635 nm and 689 nm). Professor Huang-Chiao Huang Laser use: Targeted photodynamic therapy/photoimmunotherapy with benzoporphyrin derivative (BPD) & 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) photosensitizers. Continue reading →

Photothermal therapy with platinum nanoparticles

Photothermal therapy efficiency Human ovarian cancer cells were plated on Petri dishes and incubated with platinum nanoparticles of varying sizes between 30 and 70 nm. After 24-hour incubation, irradiation was performed using a Modulight ML6600 laser at 808 nm together with an illumination kit (MLAKIT) tailored for Petri dish illumination. A small area of the dish was illuminated with the laser for five minutes with 45 W/cm2 irradiance. Calcein cell viability staining was performed 24 hours after the laser treatment and cells were examined with a Continue reading →Customer case Experimental Biophysics and Optical Manipulation research group studies biophysical properties of the cells using advanced optical techniques like optical trapping and nanoscale thermoplasmonics. Biophysical studies include the dynamics of plasma membrane, the effect of proteins on the membrane mechanisms of plasma membrane ruptures. Another important research area is photothermal therapy (PTT) using near-infrared laser to heat metallic nanoparticles. This heating of nanoparticles is also studied to deliver RNA therapeutics into the tumor tissue.  PET imaging is used to monitor treatment effects. Modulight products: ML6600 Continue reading →

ML7710 for glioblastoma treatment

Background   Professor Stummer on glioblastoma surgeries and iPDT:   Treatment protocol 20 patients were treated. 5-ALA (Gliolan) was administered at a dosage of 20 mg/kg body weight 4 hours before anesthesia. Craniotomy was performed using FGR, with aim of maximal safe resection of the fluorescent tumor. Once there was no visible fluorescence or only tumor-infiltrated fluorescence in the eloquent areas left, PDT was performed. 1-4 cylindrical diffuser were strategically inserted depending on the size and architecture of the resection cavity and fixed to a Continue reading →Customer case Research by: University Hospital Münster provides cutting-edge medical treatments for patients all over the world. The department of neurosurgery provides a full spectrum of neurosurgical care with interdisciplinary vascular and neuro-oncological specialization. Modulight products: ML7710, ML7710i Laser use: Randomized controlled PDT trials for both newly diagnosed and recurrent glioblastoma, as well as compassionate care for terminal glioblastoma patients. Link to the study: Professor Walter Stummer, MD, PhD Research topics: Professor Stummer is a world leader in his research fields, which include vascular neurosurgery, microneurosurgery, Continue reading →

Effects and side-effects of plasmonic photothermal therapy in brain tissue

Published in: Cancer Nanotechnology Authors: Yue He, Kristoffer Laugesen, Dana Kamp, Salik Ahmad Sultan, Lene Broeng Oddershede, Liselotte Jauffred    Published in: Cancer Nanotechnology Authors: Yue He, Kristoffer Laugesen, Dana Kamp, Salik Ahmad Sultan, Lene Broeng Oddershede, Liselotte Jauffred   Laser was used for plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) studies using gold nanoshells in brain tissue phantom and different porcine cerebral tissues. The electromagnetic field of a laser beam resonates with the plasmonic field of the nanoparticles, which absorb the incident light. The absorbed energy is dissipated as heat and causes hyperthermia in tumor.   Read the article here

Platinum nanoparticles: a non-toxic, effective and thermally stable alternative plasmonic material for cancer therapy and bioengineering

Published in: Nanoscale Authors: Akbar Samadi, Henrik Klingberg, Liselotte Jauffred, Andreas Kjær, Poul Martin Bendix, Lene B. Oddershede    Published in: Nanoscale Authors: Akbar Samadi, Henrik Klingberg, Liselotte Jauffred, Andreas Kjær, Poul Martin Bendix, Lene B. Oddershede   They have used laser to study effectiveness of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) for photothermal cancer therapy using ovarian cancer cell lines. They demonstrated that PtNPs are non-toxic themselves but upon laser irradiation kill effectively cancer cells.   Read the article here