Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Virus Capsids As Nanoscale Delivery Vessels Of Photoactive Compounds For Site-Specific Photodynamic Therapy, Brian Alexander Cohen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The research presented in this work details the use of a viral capsid as an addressable delivery vessel of photoactive compounds for use in photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy is a treatment that involves the interaction of light with a photosensitizing molecule to create singlet oxygen, a reactive oxygen species. Overproduction of singlet oxygen in cells can cause oxidative damage leading to cytotoxicity and eventually cell death. Challenges with the current generation of FDA-approved photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy primarily stem from their lack of tissue specificity. This work describes the packaging of photoactive cationic porphyrins inside the MS2 bacteriophage capsid, followed …