Dartmouth and Harvard researchers have been working on advances in photodynamic therapy for the past decade, and a program project grant to advance molecular strategies to enhance this with image guidance has been funded by the National Cancer Institute. This multidisciplinary grant aims to improve the treatment outcomes for two important groups of cancers – pancreatic cancer and non-melanoma skin cancer – by using new combination treatment regimens that incorporate photodynamic therapy (PDT) with novel imaging technologies.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers, typically presenting as locally advanced and metastatic disease, with very poor prognosis. Non-melanoma skin carcinomas, including squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, are the most prevalent of human cancers and are clinically significant due to the sheer number of skin lesions. Through this Program we will use PDT to induce potent local effects and will combine it with small molecules and advanced nanoconstructs that maximize delivery, sensitize the tumor to PDT response, and have the potential to reduce metastasis.
The Program will measurably improve several clinical outcomes: reduced mortality for pancreatic cancer and squamous cell carcinoma; reduced morbidity; and reductions in overall healthcare costs. In addition, the Program will make some fundamental mechanistic discoveries. We will achieve our program goals through leveraging prior Phase I clinical studies, new tools to accelerate clinical translation, and industry collaborations, in order to move novel PDT combinations into the clinic.
