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Open research questions in Photodynamic Therapy Research Studies

124 gap statements mined from Photodynamic Therapy Research Studies papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 927 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • It also highlights the need for alternative disinfection techniques.

    Near-UVA Radiation at 405 nm: Germicidal Effect With and Without Sub-Lethal Conditions on Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the challenge of limited understanding of the mechanisms driving bystander effects in tumor cells. The study highlights the challenge of translating preclinical data to clinical practice. The authors discuss the challenge of balancing the beneficial and deleterious effects of bystander responses in cancer treatment.

    Bystander effects in photodynamic therapy-treated tumors involve spatiotemporally extended ferroptosis · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the influence of photosensitizer concentration on singlet oxygen quantum yield. The need to optimize photosensitizer concentration for reliable measurements. The importance of considering concentration-dependent effects in future studies.

    Concentration-Dependent Photoproduction of Singlet Oxygen by Common Photosensitizers · 2025 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the need to improve the selectivity, efficacy, and multifunctionality of phthalocyanines for photodynamic therapy. It highlights the challenges of aggregation-induced quenching, poor aqueous solubility, synthetic complexity, and interference with ROS generation.

    Phthalocyanines Conjugated with Small Biologically Active Compounds for the Advanced Photodynamic Therapy: A Review · 2025 · DOI

  • The current treatment options for diabetic foot ulcers are often limited, and there is a need for innovative therapeutic strategies. The paper identifies a gap in the development of effective treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in diabetic foot ulcers. The research gap also includes the need for therapies that can adapt to the specific wound environment in diabetic patients.

    Photocatalysis and Photodynamic Therapy in Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs) Care: A Novel Approach to Infection Control and Tissue Regeneration · 2025 · DOI

  • Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection drives cervical carcinogenesis, yet effective treatments for patients without histologically confirmed cervical lesions are lacking.

    5‐Aminolevulinic Acid Photodynamic Therapy for Non‐Lesional Persistent High‐Risk HPV Infection: A Comparative Cohort Study With Interferon · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite limited clinical evidence, future translational studies are warranted to investigate CAF-targeted PDT combined with standard therapies to remodel the immunosuppressive TME and improve clinical outcomes in HNSCC.

    Photodynamic therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: immunomodulation and stromal targeting of cancer-associated fibroblasts · 2026 · DOI

  • It requires effective decaging strategies that can be applied in vivo, but such highly efficient and biocompatible methodologies remain scarce.

    Expanding the toolbox of bioorthogonal activation of photosensitizers for precise photodynamic therapy through transition metal-mediated deallylation · 2026 · DOI

  • Organelle-targeted PSs can enhance PDT efficacy by concentrating ROS at critical subcellular sites, yet systematic evaluation and comparison of different organelle targets using a uniform parent PS remain scarce.

    Organelle-Targeted Photosensitizers for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer · 2026 · DOI

  • Photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy is limited by the random intracellular distribution of conventional photosensitizers (PSs), as reactive oxygen species (ROS) have an extremely short half-life.

    Organelle-Targeted Photosensitizers for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer · 2026 · DOI

  • The safety and morphologic impact on the normal equine cornea have not been investigated, and the mechanism of its efficacy is unknown.

    Photodynamic therapy with infracyanine green induces keratocyte depopulation in the normal equine cornea · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite these promising properties, their application in the healing of infected wounds remains largely underexplored, with only a few reports to date.

    Metal‐Based Photosensitizers as Emerging Antibacterial Agents for Infected Wound Healing · 2026 · DOI

  • Photodynamic therapy (PDT) of NSCLC and PM improves patient survival, but the precise underlying mechanism remains unknown.

    Low-dose photodynamic therapy promotes vascular E-selectin expression in chest malignancies, improving immune infiltration and tumor control · 2025 · DOI

  • Photosensitizers have significant potential as radiosensitizers in cancer treatment, yet the mechanism of ionizing-radiation-induced singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2) generation remains unclear.

    Low-dose-rate ionizing radiation increases singlet oxygen production by photosensitizers · 2025 · DOI

  • However, the precise morphological dynamics and mechanisms underlying bacterial cell death during PDI remain insufficiently understood.

    SIM imaging of bacterial membrane dynamics and lipid peroxidation during photodynamic inactivation with a dual-functional activatable probe · 2025 · DOI

  • However, PSs capable of simultaneously targeting the plasma membrane and activating both ferroptosis and pyroptosis are scarce.

    Harnessing Membrane-Targeting Photosensitizers to Evoke Ferroptosis and Pyroptosis Dual-Modal Cell Death for Antitumor Therapy · 2025 · DOI

  • Nevertheless, targeted delivery systems capable of precisely controlling AR release at bacterial infectious foci are still lacking.

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa-targeted mesoporous gold nanorod nanogenerator: NIR laser-triggered alkyl radical generation for enhanced bacterial wound treatment · 2025 · DOI

  • Survival signaling manifests in regions of the tumor where the tumor cells are insufficiently photosensitized or subjected to inadequate fluence rates.

    Pharmacological targeting of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (NRF2): a potential strategy to improve the efficacy of oncological photodynamic therapy · 2025 · DOI

  • The clinical application of conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT) is often limited by the nonspecific phototoxicity of "always-on" photosensitizers.

    Mechanism-guided design of specific-activated photosensitizers for precision photodynamic therapy · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of near-UVA radiation on different bacterial strains, - The use of exogenous porphyrins in combination with near-UVA radiation should be further explored, - The characterisation of the emission spectrum of the light source should be taken into account in future…

    Near-UVA Radiation at 405 nm: Germicidal Effect With and Without Sub-Lethal Conditions on Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria · 2026 · DOI

  • The study included a small number of patients (n = 18), - The clinical protocol comprised several sequential stages, - The system was tested on a limited number of tumor types, - No long-term follow-up data…

    New Concept of Intraoperative Fluorescence Diagnostics for Photodynamic Dosimetry of Tumors Using Chlorin-Based Photosensitizers · 2026 · DOI

  • Further evaluation of the VENERA-red-660 system as a tool for intraoperative PDT dosimetry, - Investigation of the system's efficacy in other tumor types, - Development of new chlorin-based photosensitizers, - Optimization of the clinical…

    New Concept of Intraoperative Fluorescence Diagnostics for Photodynamic Dosimetry of Tumors Using Chlorin-Based Photosensitizers · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigating the effects of photosensitizer concentration on singlet oxygen quantum yield in different solvents, - Analyzing the impact of self-quenching effects and molecular aggregation on energy transfer, - Developing new methods for accurate determination of ΦΔ, - Exploring the applications of photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy and environmental…

    Concentration-Dependent Photoproduction of Singlet Oxygen by Common Photosensitizers · 2025 · DOI

  • Further exploration of the mechanisms and applications of photocatalysis and photodynamic therapy - Investigation of the use of advanced energy carriers and electron and proton transfer systems - Study of the adaptation of therapy to the specific wound environment in patients…

    Photocatalysis and Photodynamic Therapy in Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs) Care: A Novel Approach to Infection Control and Tissue Regeneration · 2025 · DOI

  • Preliminary exploration in human tissue-engineered bladder tumor substitutes demonstrated the feasibility for PDT assessment in complex 3D environments, warranting further study.

    Improving photodynamic therapy efficacy in bladder cancer using polymer micelle-encapsulated pheophorbide a · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Photodynamic Therapy Research Studies

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection drives cervical carcinogenesis, yet effective treatments for patients without histologically confirmed cervical lesions are lacking (“5‐Aminolevulinic Acid Photodynamic Therapy for Non‐Lesional Persistent…”, 2026); (2) Despite limited clinical evidence, future translational studies are warranted to investigate CAF-targeted PDT combined with standard therapies to remodel the immunosuppressive TME and improve clinical outcomes in HNSCC (“Photodynamic therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: immunomodulation…”, 2026); (3) It requires effective decaging strategies that can be applied in vivo, but such highly efficient and biocompatible methodologies remain scarce (“Expanding the toolbox of bioorthogonal activation of photosensitizers for…”, 2026); (4) Organelle-targeted PSs can enhance PDT efficacy by concentrating ROS at critical subcellular sites, yet systematic evaluation and comparison of different organelle targets using a uniform parent PS remain scarce (“Organelle-Targeted Photosensitizers for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer”, 2026); (5) The safety and morphologic impact on the normal equine cornea have not been investigated, and the mechanism of its efficacy is unknown (“Photodynamic therapy with infracyanine green induces keratocyte depopulation in…”, 2026). 124 gap statements have been mined from Photodynamic Therapy Research Studies papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 927 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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