Photochemistry and Photobiology

Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) plays a major role in many chemical and biological photo-oxidation processes. Its chemical reactivity is commonly harnessed for therapeutic issues. In particular, singlet oxygen is believed to be one of the major cytotoxic agents in Photo Dynamic Therapy. PDT involves three key components: a photosensitizer, light, and tissue oxygen. In PDT, singlet oxygen is created by an indirect transfer of energy from light to molecular oxygen (³O₂) via excitation of the photosensitizer.

The work of F. Anquez et al. (pp. 167 - 174, in this issue), shows that the production scheme of singlet oxygen can be deeply simplified; the process of cell death can be triggered without any photosensitizer using only 1270 nm laser excitation of the cellular molecular oxygen. The quantity of singlet oxygen produced is sufficient to induce an oxidative stress leading to cell death. In this study, other effects such as thermal stress are discriminated and the conclusion is that cell death is only due to singlet oxygen creation. This new simplified scheme of singlet oxygen activation is a breakthrough both for fundamental studies of oxidative stress and for photo-therapies of malignant diseases. Read more...

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Join the American Society for Photobiology (ASP) for their 36^th meeting being held at the Delta Centre-Ville, Montreal, Canada from June 23-27, 2012. This is a landmark year for the ASP, which celebrates its 40^th anniversary as an enduring foundation for the study and advancement of the science of light. On behalf of the ASP, we cordially invite you to join us in Montreal for excellent science, stimulating conversation and a lot of fun in one of the world’s most beautiful and dynamic cities.