Synergistically enhanced cancer phototheranostics using multifunctional nanoplatforms

Nanotheranostics combining photodynamic and photothermal therapies (PDT and PTT) with other therapeutic modalities has been shown to result in synergistically enhanced cancer treatment with minimal adverse effects. This talk will present our results on synergistically enhanced cancer phototheranostics delivered with tumor microenvironment or external stimuli responsive multifunctional nanoplatforms. Three different nanoplatforms involve protein nanocrystals, nanoliposomes and silica-based hybrid nanoparticles. All the nanoplatforms incorporate contrast agents for optical/multimodal imaging and therapeutic agents allowing to combine PDT/PTT with chemo and chemodynamic therapies. An application of these imaging guided nanoplatforms allowed us to achieve a synergistic combination of photodynamic and/or photothermal therapies with chemo- and chemodynamic treatments, resulting in an efficient diagnostics and enhanced therapy of cancer cells in vitro and in animal model in vivo.