Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy in Brain Tumors—An Unexplored Frontier

Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a promising cancer treatment that uses near-infrared light to activate a conjugate of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) and a photoactivatable silica phthalocyanine dye (IRDye700DX: IR700). Unlike conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT), NIR-PIT selectively de...

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Main Authors: Haruka Yamaguchi, Masayasu Okada, Takuya Otani, Jotaro On, Satoshi Shibuma, Toru Takino, Jun Watanabe, Yoshihiro Tsukamoto, Ryosuke Ogura, Makoto Oishi, Takamasa Suzuki, Akihiro Ishikawa, Hideyuki Sakata, Manabu Natsumeda
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Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Pharmaceuticals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/5/751
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author Haruka Yamaguchi
Masayasu Okada
Takuya Otani
Jotaro On
Satoshi Shibuma
Toru Takino
Jun Watanabe
Yoshihiro Tsukamoto
Ryosuke Ogura
Makoto Oishi
Takamasa Suzuki
Akihiro Ishikawa
Hideyuki Sakata
Manabu Natsumeda
author_facet Haruka Yamaguchi
Masayasu Okada
Takuya Otani
Jotaro On
Satoshi Shibuma
Toru Takino
Jun Watanabe
Yoshihiro Tsukamoto
Ryosuke Ogura
Makoto Oishi
Takamasa Suzuki
Akihiro Ishikawa
Hideyuki Sakata
Manabu Natsumeda
author_sort Haruka Yamaguchi
collection DOAJ
description Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a promising cancer treatment that uses near-infrared light to activate a conjugate of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) and a photoactivatable silica phthalocyanine dye (IRDye700DX: IR700). Unlike conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT), NIR-PIT selectively destroys targeted tumor cells while preserving the surrounding normal tissue and providing superior tissue penetration. Recently, NIR-PIT has been approved for the treatment of unresectable recurrent head and neck cancers in Japan. It induces highly selective cancer cell death; therefore, it is expected to be a new curative treatment option for various cancers, including brain tumors. In this review, we compare the principles of NIR-PIT and PDT and discuss the potential applications of NIR-PIT for brain tumors. We selected targetable proteins across various types of brain tumors and devised a strategy to effectively pass the mAb–IR700 conjugate through the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which is a significant challenge for NIR-PIT in treating brain tumors. Innovative approaches for delivering the mAb–IR700 conjugate across the BBB include exosomes, nanoparticle-based systems, and cell-penetrating peptides. Small-molecule compounds, such as affibodies, are anticipated to rapidly accumulate in tumors within intracranial models, and our preliminary experiments demonstrated rapid uptake. NIR-PIT also induces immunogenic cell death and activates the anti-tumor immune response. Overall, NIR-PIT is a promising approach for treating brain tumors. It has the potential to overcome the limitations of conventional therapies and offers new hope to patients with brain tumors.
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spelling doaj-art-ace2a84e1c2648d59d2fafd1a27c86102025-08-20T01:56:41ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472025-05-0118575110.3390/ph18050751Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy in Brain Tumors—An Unexplored FrontierHaruka Yamaguchi0Masayasu Okada1Takuya Otani2Jotaro On3Satoshi Shibuma4Toru Takino5Jun Watanabe6Yoshihiro Tsukamoto7Ryosuke Ogura8Makoto Oishi9Takamasa Suzuki10Akihiro Ishikawa11Hideyuki Sakata12Manabu Natsumeda13Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata 951-8580, JapanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, JapanNear InfraRed Photo-ImmunoTherapy Research Institute, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Osaka 573-1010, JapanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, JapanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, JapanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, JapanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, JapanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, JapanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, JapanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, JapanFaculty of Engineering, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, JapanStartup Incubation Center, Shimadzu Corporation, Kyoto 604-8511, JapanStartup Incubation Center, Shimadzu Corporation, Kyoto 604-8511, JapanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, JapanNear-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a promising cancer treatment that uses near-infrared light to activate a conjugate of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) and a photoactivatable silica phthalocyanine dye (IRDye700DX: IR700). Unlike conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT), NIR-PIT selectively destroys targeted tumor cells while preserving the surrounding normal tissue and providing superior tissue penetration. Recently, NIR-PIT has been approved for the treatment of unresectable recurrent head and neck cancers in Japan. It induces highly selective cancer cell death; therefore, it is expected to be a new curative treatment option for various cancers, including brain tumors. In this review, we compare the principles of NIR-PIT and PDT and discuss the potential applications of NIR-PIT for brain tumors. We selected targetable proteins across various types of brain tumors and devised a strategy to effectively pass the mAb–IR700 conjugate through the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which is a significant challenge for NIR-PIT in treating brain tumors. Innovative approaches for delivering the mAb–IR700 conjugate across the BBB include exosomes, nanoparticle-based systems, and cell-penetrating peptides. Small-molecule compounds, such as affibodies, are anticipated to rapidly accumulate in tumors within intracranial models, and our preliminary experiments demonstrated rapid uptake. NIR-PIT also induces immunogenic cell death and activates the anti-tumor immune response. Overall, NIR-PIT is a promising approach for treating brain tumors. It has the potential to overcome the limitations of conventional therapies and offers new hope to patients with brain tumors.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/5/751near-infrared photoimmunotherapyIR700photodynamic therapycentral nervous systembrain tumorsglioma
spellingShingle Haruka Yamaguchi
Masayasu Okada
Takuya Otani
Jotaro On
Satoshi Shibuma
Toru Takino
Jun Watanabe
Yoshihiro Tsukamoto
Ryosuke Ogura
Makoto Oishi
Takamasa Suzuki
Akihiro Ishikawa
Hideyuki Sakata
Manabu Natsumeda
Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy in Brain Tumors—An Unexplored Frontier
Pharmaceuticals
near-infrared photoimmunotherapy
IR700
photodynamic therapy
central nervous system
brain tumors
glioma
title Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy in Brain Tumors—An Unexplored Frontier
title_full Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy in Brain Tumors—An Unexplored Frontier
title_fullStr Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy in Brain Tumors—An Unexplored Frontier
title_full_unstemmed Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy in Brain Tumors—An Unexplored Frontier
title_short Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy in Brain Tumors—An Unexplored Frontier
title_sort near infrared photoimmunotherapy in brain tumors an unexplored frontier
topic near-infrared photoimmunotherapy
IR700
photodynamic therapy
central nervous system
brain tumors
glioma
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/5/751
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