Microneedles Deliver Light to Tough Skin Cancers
Researchers have developed dissolving microneedles that improve photodynamic therapy for skin cancer by delivering both light-sensitive drugs and light more effectively into deep tissue. This innovation overcomes the traditional limitation where light intensity fades as it penetrates the skin.
Why it matters
This technology could significantly improve the efficacy of non-invasive cancer treatments for difficult-to-reach skin lesions.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses a light-sensitive drug and a specific wavelength of light to destroy cancer cells. The treatment has become an important option for certain skin cancers because it can target diseased tissue while limiting damage to surrounding skin. But PDT has a fundamental challenge: both the drug and the light must reach the same area of tissue. While drugs applied to the skin often struggle to penetrate deeply, light also loses intensity as it passes through tissue, limiting treatment to relatively shallow lesions.
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