Borrowing sunlight: Photosynthetic bioengineering as an emerging therapeutic paradigm

Photosynthetic bioengineering as an emerging therapeutic paradigmLight is one of the most abundant and continuously available energy sources on Earth, but unlike plant cells, mammalian cells lack the ability to directly convert the abundant light energy into biochemical energy.In recent years, a series of studies have begun to attempt to cross this bioenergy boundary, introducing plant-derived thylakoids and their light-response functions into inflamed joints, damaged kidneys, infarcted myocardium and, most recently, corneal tissue (Figure 1A), [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] to explore a common question: Can the mechanism of photosynthesis be used to provide controllable local energy and reducing power to mammalian tissues?Individually, these works are proof-of-concept for different organs; collectively, they are outlining a new therapeutic paradigmphotosynthetic medicine.This emerging concept of 'photosynthetic medicine' encompasses therapeutic strategies that convert exogenous light energy into locally usable chemical energy by transplanting or reconstructing photosynthetic machinery in mammalian systems.