FLEXIBLE GEL IMPLANT LOADED WITH PERSISTENT LUMINESCE NANOPARTICLES FOR PHOTOTHERAPY IN DEEP TISSUES
Phototherapy, an effective medical treatment using light with minimal side effects, is limited for deep-seated diseases due to low UV and visible light penetration (1-3 mm). While X-rays penetrate deeper, their direct use in phototherapy is challenging for optogenetic and photodynamic therapies, as they cannot activate opsins and photosensitizers. To overcome this, nanotransducers converting X-rays to UV/visible light are used. Among them, X-ray activated persistence luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) gained interest. PLNPs emit light continuously for several minutes to hours, reducing X-ray-induced damage. This thesis proposes using X-ray-activated NaLuF4 PLNPs co-doped withTb and Gd for deep tissue phototherapy. The study explores enhancing luminescence by coating PLNPs with an inert NaYF4 shell and pre-investigates their biocompatibility and loading into epoxy resin or PDMS for clinical applications. Insights from this study enable effective deep-seated phototherapy for diseases in deep tissues.
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