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Review
. 2019 Oct 2;8(10):1581.
doi: 10.3390/jcm8101581.

Photodynamic Therapy: A Brief History

David Kessel  1
Affiliations
Review

Photodynamic Therapy: A Brief History

David Kessel. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves the selective sensitization of tissues to light. A major advance in the field occurred when Thomas Dougherty at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute initiated a series of clinical studies that eventually led to FDA approval of the procedure. This report contains a summary of Dougherty's contributions and an assessment of where this has led, along with a summary of implications for future drug development.

Keywords: dougherty; hematoporphyrin derivative; photodynamic therapy; photofrin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

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