# Photoimmunotherapy & photodynamic therapy

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/photoimmunotherapy/  
OnCo record `photoimmunotherapy` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

An antibody carries a light-sensitive dye to the tumour; shining near-infrared light then bursts the cells.

## Summary

Photoimmunotherapy conjugates the IR700 dye to an antibody; under 690 nm near-infrared light the dye undergoes a photochemical reaction that ruptures the cell membrane and causes immunogenic cell death, so only antibody-bound cells in the illuminated field are killed. Cetuximab sarotalocan (Akalux, Rakuten Medical), targeting EGFR, is approved in Japan (2020) for recurrent head and neck cancer, and a US phase 3 is ongoing. Classical photodynamic therapy with porfimer or ALA is used for skin, oesophageal, and bile-duct lesions. The treatment is highly selective, repeatable, and immunogenic. Light penetration limits it to accessible tumours, although fibre-optic delivery extends its reach. The simple version is that an antibody carries a light-sensitive dye to the tumour and shining light then bursts the cells.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: approved
- Last checked: 2026-09-04
- Principle: IR700 dye conjugated to antibody undergoes photochemical reaction under 690 nm light, causing membrane rupture and immunogenic cell death.
- Strengths: Highly selective, repeatable; Immunogenic
- Limitations: Light penetration limits to accessible tumours

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoimmunotherapy
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoimmunotherapy

## Connected records

- cancers: [Advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/advanced-cutaneous-scc/), [Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/head-and-neck/), [Recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/recurrent-metastatic-hnscc/)
- fronts: [Devices & Physical Therapies](https://onco.cc/fronts/devices/), [Immunotherapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/immunotherapy/)
- targets: [EGFR](https://onco.cc/targets/egfr/)
- drugs: [Cetuximab sarotalocan](https://onco.cc/drugs/cetuximab-sarotalocan/)
- ideas: [Photoimmunotherapy as an in situ vaccine with PD-1 blockade](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-photoimmunotherapy-plus-pd1/)
- institutions: [National Cancer Center Hospital East](https://onco.cc/institutions/ncc-hospital-east/), [Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency](https://onco.cc/institutions/pmda/), [Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center](https://onco.cc/institutions/roswell-park/)
- terms: [Immunogenic cell death](https://onco.cc/terms/immunogenic-cell-death/)
- technologies: [Photodynamic therapy lasers and light sources](https://onco.cc/technologies/photodynamic-therapy-lasers/), [Radiodynamic therapy and radiosensitising nanoparticles](https://onco.cc/technologies/radiodynamic-therapy/), [Sonodynamic therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/sonodynamic-therapy/)
- bottlenecks: [Cold tumours and the immunosuppressive microenvironment](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-tme-immunosuppression/)
- roadmaps: [Devices and physical therapies roadmap: heat and light → electric fields and focused sound → drug-releasing implants](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/devices-roadmap/)
- companies: [Modulight](https://onco.cc/companies/modulight/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/photoimmunotherapy.json