Tumor-Selective and Self-Activating Chemiluminescent Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy

Abstract

Application of light in chemistry presents an active field of research with a very promising outlook, particularly in technology and medicine. Molecules which mediate the transfer of light to another molecule (photosensitizers) are the cornerstone of exploitation of light. The current state of research and recent progress in applications of photosensitizers in diverse fields are documented in twelve chapters written by scientists from around the world. Chapter 1 gives a general overview on the applications of photosensitizers in synthetic organic chemistry. This review is followed by Chapters 2-7, which deal with the various applications of photosensitizers in medicine, in particular for photodynamic cancer therapy. The subsequent Chapters 8-12 cover different aspects of applications of photosensitizers in material science, such as for dye-sensitized solar cells and photo-responsive materials.