ReviewAngewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)2025
Activatable Photosensitizers: From Fundamental Principles to Advanced Designs.
Review in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed.
- Bioorthogonal aggregation-induced emission nanoprobes for targeted photodynamic eradication of Gram-negative pathogens in periodontitis.Materials today. Bio · 2026Article
- Triple-Microenvironment Decoding Enables Logic-Unlocked Precision Photoimmunotherapy.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2026Article
- Encoding Biological Selectivity Through Positional Isomerism of Phosphindole Oxide AIEgens for Targeted Photodynamic Therapy.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2026Article
- Novel BODIPY-Loaded Liposomes Enhance Cellular Uptake and PDT Efficacy in 2D and 3D Models.Pharmaceutics · 2026Article
- Mitochondria-Targeted Photodynamic Agents Drive Robust Pyroptosis by Caspase-3/GSDME Activation and Cardiolipin Externalization.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2026Article
- Hydroxyl-radical-specific cascade photogeneration for oxygen-chain photocatalytic therapy.Chemical science · 2026Article
- A general strategy for high-efficiency live bacteria imaging and targeted phototherapy.Chemical science · 2026Article
- Controlled In Situ Self-Assembly for Pretargeted Tumor Theranostics via Bioorthogonal Activation.Advanced healthcare materials · 2026Article
- A Nano-Isolation Strategy for Tumor-Activatable Photodynamic Therapy via Aggregation-Gated Type I Photosensitizers.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2026Article
- Leucine Aminopeptidase-Activatable Photosensitizer Enables Enzyme-Responsive Photodynamic Therapy in Neuroblastoma.ACS omega · 2026Article
- C-BODIPY Dyads Based on Fused-Ring Organoboron Scaffolds for Efficient Photodynamic Therapy TargetingJournal of medicinal chemistry · 2026Article
- Cascade-activatable small-molecule theranostic nanomicelles for photodynamic-immunotherapy of immune-cold lung tumors.Asian journal of pharmaceutical sciences · 2026Article
- Engineering a Universal Scaffold for Activatable Near-Infrared Photosensitizers.Chemical & biomedical imaging · 2026Article
- Nanotechnology in Cancer Therapy: How Nanoparticles Are Shaping the Future of Personalized Treatment.ACS nano medicine · 2026Review
- A paradigm shift from penetration: Material-based solutions for multidimensional spatiotemporal, hypoxic, and optical challenges in cutaneous photodynamic therapy.Materials today. Bio · 2026Review
- Expanding the toolbox of bioorthogonal activation of photosensitizers for precise photodynamic therapy through transition metal-mediated deallylation.Materials today. Bio · 2026Article
- Novel 2-(2'-Benzothiazolyl)-benzimidazole-Based Iridium(III) Photocatalysts Exhibit Antiproliferative Effects in 2D and 3D Cancer Cells to Bypass Hypoxia-Induced Resistance.Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2026Article
- Nanoparticles-based phototherapy systems: molecular mechanisms and clinical applications.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Review
- Mechanism-guided design of specific-activated photosensitizers for precision photodynamic therapy.Chemical science · 2026Review
- Peptide-Functionalized Liposomal Nanocarriers for Targeted Therapy of Liver Fibrosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Design, Mechanisms, and Clinical Prospects.ACS pharmacology & translational science · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising treatment that uses light to excite photosensitizers in target tissue, producing reactive oxygen species and localized cell death. It is recognized as a minimally invasive, clinically approved cancer therapy with additional preclinical applications in arthritis, atherosclerosis, and infection control. A hallmark of ideal PDT is delivering disease-specific cytotoxicity while sparing healthy tissue. However, conventional photosensitizers often suffer from non-specific photoactivation, causing off-target toxicity. Activatable photosensitizers (aPS) have emerged as more precise alternatives, offering controlled activation. Unlike traditional photosensitizers, they remain inert and photoinactive during circulation and off-target accumulation, minimizing collateral damage. These photosensitizers are designed to "turn on" in response to disease-specific biostimuli, enhancing therapeutic selectivity and reducing off-target effects. This review explores the principles of aPS, including quenching mechanisms stemming from activatable fluorescent probes and applied to activatable photosensitizers (RET, PeT, ICT, ACQ, AIE), as well as pathological biostimuli (pH, enzymes, redox conditions, cellular internalization), and bioresponsive constructs enabling quenching and activation. We also provide a critical assessment of unresolved challenges in aPS development, including limitations in targeting precision, selectivity under real-world conditions, and potential solutions to persistent issues (dual-lock, targeting moieties, biorthogonal chemistry and artificial receptors). Additionally, it provides an in-depth discussion of essential research design considerations needed to develop translationally relevant aPS with improved therapeutic outcomes and specificity.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.