Non-oncologic applications come to the fore in photodynamic therapy

Several new non-oncologic applications for photodynamic therapy arestimulating wide interest among physicians and researchers from a variety of subspecialties, according to a new report by Medical Insight which was prepared in the wake of the 8th World Congress of PhotoDynamic Medicine, held in Vancouver, Canada, last month.

Harvey Lui of the University of British Columbia, who acted as chairman for the conference, noted that "a lot has changed since our last meeting. PDT has been accepted by mainstream medicine via various niches [and] the most exciting new applications are actually outside of oncology now." These treatment areas, he said, include dermatology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology and cardiology.

Echoing this sentiment, John Hill, director of oncology at Miravant Medical Technologies in the USA, said that his company's R&D programs reflect these multiple applications. "We have product development and clinical studies underway in cardiovascular for preventing restenosis, ophthalmology (with our partner Pharmacia) and dermatology for actinic keratosis and psoriasis," he noted.