Provided herein are lanthanide-containing upconverting nanoparticles, methods of their preparation, compositions, and methods of using the same. The polymers and compositions provided herein may be used, for example, in photodynamic therapy.

The present disclosure relates to quantum dot nanoparticles conjugated to ligands, and in particular quantum dot nanoparticles wherein each nanoparticle is conjugated to a polymerizable ligand. The present disclosure also relates to methods of making such conjugated quantum dot nanoparticles, and the use of such conjugated quantum dot nanoparticles as therapeutic agents, ablation agents and tattooing agents.

The present invention relates to methods for treating cell proliferation disorders comprising: (1) administering to the subject at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent that is capable of activation by a simultaneous two photon absorption event and of effecting a predetermined cellular change when activated; (2) administering at least one plasmonics-active agent to the subject, and (3) applying an initiation energy from an initiation energy source to the subject,
wherein the plasmonics-active agent enhances or modifies the applied initiation energy, such that the enhanced or modified initiation energy activates the activatable pharmaceutical agent by the simultaneous two photon absorption event in situ, thus causing the predetermined cellular change to occur, wherein said predetermined cellular change treats the cell proliferation related disorder; and the use of plasmonics enhanced photospectral therapy (PEPST) and exiton-plasmon enhanced phototherapy (EPEP) in the treatment of various cell proliferation disorders, and the PEPST and EPEP agents and probes; a kit and a computer implemented system for performing the method; a pharmaceutical composition useful in the method; and a method for causing an autovaccine effect in a subject using the method.

Methods and systems for performing optogenetics using X-rays or ultrasound waves are provided. Visible-light-emitting nanophosphors can be provided to a sample, and X-ray stimulation can be used to stimulate the nanophosphors to emit visible light. Alternatively, ultrasonic waves can be provided to the sample to cause sonoluminescence, also resulting in emission of visible light, and this can be aided by the use of a chemiluminescent agent present in the sample. The emitted light can trigger changes in proteins that modulate membrane potentials in neuronal cells.

Provided is an isolated light-sensitive opsin for rapidly, reversibly, and precisely restoring sensitivity to light of the retinal cell through activating Gq signaling.

The present invention relates to a new generation of PDT agents based on porphyrin-lanthanide complexes with specific functional groups which can specifically localize on particular tumors, and their PDT processes can be monitored via NIR emission from erbium. In particular, the present invention provides a multi-modal lanthanide-porphyrin PDT agent (ErR.sub.3) that are capable of killing the bladder tumor cells selectivity via .sup.1O.sub.2 from porphyrin moiety and affording the fluorescence imaging simultaneously upon ErR.sub.3 binding with the integrin .sub.v.sub.3 isoform in bladder cancer cells.

Methods for the treatment of a cell proliferation disorder in a subject, involving: (1) administering to the subject at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent that is capable of effecting a predetermined cellular change when activated, either alone or in combination with at least one energy modulation agent; and (2) applying an initiation energy from an initiation energy source to the subject, wherein the applying activates the activatable agent in situ, thus causing the predetermined cellular change to occur, wherein the predetermined cellular change treats the cell proliferation disorder, preferably by causing an increase or decrease in rate of cell proliferation, and a kit for performing the method, a computer implemented system for performing the method, a pharmaceutical composition useful in the method and a method for causing an autovaccine effect in a subject using the method.

A method, composition and system respond to ionizing radiation to adjust biological activity. In some approaches the ionizing radiation is X-ray or extreme ultraviolet radiation that produces luminescent responses that induce biologically active responses.

The present disclosure provides silicone-based biophotonic compositions and methods useful in phototherapy. In particular, the silicone-based biophotonic compositions of the present disclosure include a silicone phase and a surfactant phase, wherein the surfactant phase comprises at least one chromophore solubilized in a surfactant. The silicone-based biophotonic compositions and the methods of the present disclosure are useful for promoting wound healing and scarring, as well as various other skin disorders.

Photodynamic therapy systems comprising a nanoparticle that emits electromagnetic radiation having a first wavelength when irradiated with electromagnetic radiation, a photosensitizer which absorbs electromagnetic radiation of said first wavelength and a biocompatible mesoporous material are disclosed herein. In some examples, the photodynamic therapy system comprises a core comprising the nanoparticle, a first shell comprising the biocompatible mesoporous material, and a photosensitizer embedded in the first shell. Upon irradiation by, for example, X-rays, the nanoparticle can function as a transducer, converting X-ray photons to visible photons, and in turn, activating the photosensitizers. Methods of using the photodynamic therapy system are also disclosed.