Assessment of Photodynamic Therapy Penetration Depth in a Synthetic Pig Brain Model: A Novel Approach to Simulate the Reach of PDT-Mediated Effects In Vitro

Background/Objectives: Recurrence of glioblastoma (GBM) mostly occurs in close vicinity to the resection cavity. Therefore, our group has previously designed an implant to locally apply repetitive photodynamic therapy to mitigate tumor recurrence. The penetration depths of different wavelengths in brain tissue were exhaustively studied before. However, the PDT-induced biological effects of 5-ALA-based PDT against GBM cells at different depths have not been evaluated yet. Methods: Therefore, a synthetic brain substitute material of 1–10 mm thickness and with optical properties comparable to the white or gray matter of pig brain was developed. Tumor cell viability was assessed in spheroids from six GBM cell lines using disks of varying thickness prepared from pig brain substitute material to mimic in vivo radiation attenuation. Results: Using an artificial brain tissue optical model based on material science, we have established a relationship between the PDT-induced effect of our PDT implant and the distance of migrating GBM cells from the resection cavity wall. Conclusions: This model may be helpful to aid optimization of the irradiation doses and fractionation required to attain the maximal therapeutic effect by long-term PDT applications.