Nanoparticle-Mediated Phototherapeutic Strategies in Oncology

Nanoparticle-mediated phototherapy encompasses a suite of treatments in which light-activated nanoparticles deliver precise cytotoxic effects to tumour tissue while sparing healthy cells. Two principal modalities are photodynamic therapy (PDT), in which photosensitiser-loaded nanocarriers produce reactive oxygen species under light irradiation, and photothermal therapy (PTT), where photothermal agents convert near-infrared (NIR) light into heat to induce hyperthermia. Hybrid platforms combine PDT and PTT for synergistic tumour ablation, while photoacoustic imaging offers real-time guidance by detecting acoustic signals generated by nanoparticle heating. Advances in stimuli-responsive release, tumour-targeting ligands and high drug-loading capacity have improved selectivity and therapeutic index. Emerging systems exploit endogenous biosynthetic pathways to generate multiple cytotoxic metabolites in situ, or employ transformable optical agents that switch between imaging and therapeutic functions. Collectively, these innovations promise minimally invasive, image-guided interventions with reduced systemic toxicity and enhanced treatment of solid tumours and metastases.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated a full-API nanodrug composed solely of clinically approved small molecules that undergo multi-step enzymatic conversion to generate a cascade of photosensitiser and therapeutic metabolites. This approach yields continuous spatiotemporal photodynamic and chemodynamic damage within tumours, enhancing mitochondrial disruption and membrane injury without added excipients. Another investigation introduced a supramolecular peptide nanoplatform assembled by host–guest chemistry, enabling programmable morphology, inherent tumour targeting and high loading of photosensitisers. In vivo, these self-assembled peptides exhibit enhanced photodynamic efficacy and precise delivery. Foundational work on a transformable organic nanoparticle highlighted a light-switchable system that alternates between photoacoustic imaging, fluorescence detection and photodynamic therapy, improving preoperative tumour mapping and intraoperative clearance.

Nanoparticle-Mediated Phototherapeutic Strategies in Oncology publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanoparticle-mediated phototherapeutic strategies in oncology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Photodynamic therapy (PDT): Treatment using light-activated photosensitisers to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species.

Photothermal therapy (PTT): Technique converting absorbed light into heat via photothermal agents to induce hyperthermia in tumour tissue.

Photosensitiser: A molecule that, upon light activation, transfers energy to molecular oxygen to produce reactive oxygen species.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Highly reactive molecules derived from oxygen that damage cellular components and induce cell death.

Photoacoustic imaging: A modality that detects ultrasound waves generated by light-induced thermal expansion for high-resolution tumour visualisation.

Intersystem crossing: A photophysical process in which an excited molecule transitions from a singlet to a triplet state, crucial for efficient ROS generation in PDT.

References

1. Continuous Spatiotemporal Therapy of A Full-API Nanodrug via Multi-Step Tandem Endogenous Biosynthesis. Nature Communications (2023).
2. Supramolecular peptide constructed by molecular Lego allowing programmable self-assembly for photodynamic therapy. Nature Communications (2019).
3. Light-driven transformable optical agent with adaptive functions for boosting cancer surgery outcomes. Nature Communications (2018).
4. J-type assembled Pt(IV)-coordinated carbon dots for near-infrared light-triggered pyroptosis. Light: Science & Applications (2025).
5. Deciphering the intersystem crossing in near-infrared BODIPY photosensitizers for highly efficient photodynamic therapy. Chemical Science (2019).