Hilde Harb Buzzá

The research area called biophotonics aims to study the use of light in life sciences. From diagnosis to treatments for different diseases, LASER and LED have been helping to expand the use of light in the health area. Within the context of treatments, photodynamic therapy is a technique that uses light, a photosensitive molecule and oxygen to lead the cell to death. Among the several applications, the UC Institute of Physics has been developing lines of research in the fight against fungal and bacterial infections and in the treatment of cancer. In addition, it is possible to focus on the destruction of blood vessels with the use of Photodynamic Therapy, for the direct treatment of vascular diseases or diseases that are indirectly affected, such as wound healing and tumor treatment. Given that oxygen is a fundamental part of the photodynamic effect, alternatives to increase the amount of available oxygen have also been studied, especially with photosynthetic microorganisms. Another therapy that uses light is photothermal therapy, which uses an agent that converts light into heat and takes the target cell through thermal damage, especially used for treating tumors.

Within these therapeutic possibilities using light, nanotechnology has been developing an important role in the delivery of both photosensitizers and the efficiency of photothermal agents, making light an even more effective tool for microbiological control and an option against cancer.