Cell Death Facilitated by Photodynamic Therapy
Major
Biology
Anticipated Graduation Year
2021
Access Type
Restricted Access
Abstract
Photodynamic therapy is a form of cancer treatment which utilizes photosensitizers in order to create reactive oxygen species and trigger cell death. Mammalian cells possess folate receptors and will thus take up a photosensitizer attached to folate. After immersing cells in a compound composed of BSA, folic acid, and the photosensitizer, we exposed them to light which activated the photosensitizer and facilitated cell death. In addition to investigating the efficacy of BSA-FA-ce6, we demonstrated the effects of concentration and time of exposure, hypothesizing that higher concentrations and longer exposure to light are most effective at producing cell death.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Stefan Kanzok, Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Cell Death Facilitated by Photodynamic Therapy
Photodynamic therapy is a form of cancer treatment which utilizes photosensitizers in order to create reactive oxygen species and trigger cell death. Mammalian cells possess folate receptors and will thus take up a photosensitizer attached to folate. After immersing cells in a compound composed of BSA, folic acid, and the photosensitizer, we exposed them to light which activated the photosensitizer and facilitated cell death. In addition to investigating the efficacy of BSA-FA-ce6, we demonstrated the effects of concentration and time of exposure, hypothesizing that higher concentrations and longer exposure to light are most effective at producing cell death.