Conference Grant Proposal: 12th Congress of the International Photodynamic Assn

描述(申请人提供)：光动力疗法(PDT)是一种基于光化学的疾病治疗方法，依赖于使用光来激活某些称为光敏剂的无毒化学物质。PDT的一个属性是它由光敏剂的局域化和光的空间限制所赋予的双重选择性。PDT被世界各地的监管机构批准用于许多癌症和非癌症应用，并继续作为一种潜在的治疗方式出现在各种新适应症中。由于大多数PDT试剂具有荧光的能力，光学诊断和治疗监测模式的进步也迅速发展，正在开发在线监测和治疗方法。第13届国际光动力协会大会将在西雅图举行(2009年6月11日至15日)，预计将吸引来自世界各地的医生和科学家，旨在具有前瞻性，预测最适合光动力疗法的领域，以及捕捉该领域的现状。基础科学和临床主题都将被涵盖，以便有足够的时间进行讨论。这次会议应该对那些已经在PDT领域工作的人和那些考虑参加该会议的人有用。预计这将是实验室科学家和临床医生之间交流思想的一个特别好的论坛。该协会特别感兴趣的是学生和博士后研究员的出席，目前正在努力为这些年轻科学家提供资金，以支付部分会议费用。 公共卫生相关性：本次会议旨在通过为研究人员提供一种形式，让研究人员在癌症检测和治疗的新兴程序中交流信息，从而改善公共健康。使用定位于肿瘤部位的荧光剂有助于诊断。这些试剂在可见光照射下造成高度选择性的细胞损伤的能力可用于癌症治疗程序。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a photochemistry based approach to the treatment of disease and relies on the use of light to activate certain non-toxic chemicals called photosensitizers. An attribute of PDT is its dual selectivity conferred by the localization of the photosensitizers and the spatial confinement of light. PDT is approved by regulatory authorities world-wide for a number of cancer and non-cancer applications and continues to emerge as a potential therapeutic modality for a variety of new indications. Because of the ability of most of the PDT agents to fluoresce, advances in optical diagnostic and therapy monitoring modalities have also evolved rapidly and online monitoring and therapy approaches are being developed. The 13th Congress of the International Photodynamic Association Conference will be held in Seattle (11- 15 June 2009) and is expected to attract physicians and scientists from the world over and is aimed at being forward-looking, projecting areas most amenable to Photodynamic Therapy as well as capturing the current status of the field. Both basis science and clinical topics will be covered allowing adequate times for discussion. The conference should be useful to those already in the field of PDT and also to those contemplating entering it. This is anticipated to be a particularly good forum for exchange of ideas between laboratory scientists and clinicians. Of particular interest to the association is the attendance by students and postdoctoral fellows and effort is being made to provide funding for these young scientists to defray some of the conference costs. Public Health Relevance: This conference is designed to improve public health by providing a format for investigators to exchange information in an emerging procedure for cancer detection and treatment. The use of fluorescent agents that localize at tumor sites facilitates diagnosis. The ability of these agents to cause a highly-selective form of cell damage upon irradiation with visible light can be utilized in cancer treatment procedures.