Light-based therapies are an attractive solution to target disease sites as they enable a better control of targeting and can reduce many harmful side effects of conventional therapies. The main drawback is that it is usually limited to using red or near-IR light, as all visible light below 600 nm is efficiently absorbed by tissue. Triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) molecule pairs can be loaded into liposomes for the localized generation of blue light. The unique feature of the TTA process is that it will convert light from a longer well-penetrating wavelength to a shorter wavelength when the molecules are co-localized. Red light can then be used to penetrate tissue and locally generate the emission needed.
Background
Light-based therapies are an attractive solution to target disease sites as they enable a better control of targeting and can reduce many harmful side effects of conventional therapies. The main drawback is that it is usually limited to using red or near-IR light, as all visible light below 600 nm is efficiently absorbed by tissue.
Triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) molecule pairs can be loaded into liposomes for the localized generation of blue light. The unique feature of the TTA process is that it will convert light from a longer well-penetrating wavelength to a shorter wavelength when the molecules are co-localized. Further, these compounds can be loaded into liposomes, which are ideal carriers for a range of drug release applications. The liposomes can carry the lipophilic TTA pairs within their lipid bilayer and the drug cargo in their core. Red light can then be used to penetrate tissue and locally generate the emission needed. These carriers will be manufactured in the project.
Funding source
Academy of Finland
Contact persons
Timo Laaksonen
Associate Professor
timo.laaksonen [at] tut.fi
+358 50 301 6642