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Synthesis Of Asymmetrically-Substituted Tetraphenyl-Class Porphyrins, William J. Davis
Synthesis Of Asymmetrically-Substituted Tetraphenyl-Class Porphyrins, William J. Davis
Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)
Porphyrins are macrocyclic compounds that can be synthesized and used in photodynamic therapy (PDT), a noninvasive and selective method designed to eliminate diseased tissue (such as cancer) without killing healthy tissue. PDT involves the following three steps. A photosensitizer enters a cancerous cell, is excited by electromagnetic radiation, and transfers the energy to molecular oxygen which is then converted into singlet oxygen, which triggers cellular apoptosis. However, for a porphyrin to be utilized as a therapeutic in PDT, it must satisfy the following two criteria: the porphyrin needs to possess the correct solubility to pass through the cell membrane and …