Injectable Optical System for Drug Delivery, Ablation, and Sampling in Deep Tissue

Abstract

Photothermal therapy is becoming one subject of intense investigation for cancer treatment. However, due to the light absorption and light scattering of skin tissues, it is challenging to directly transport light energy into subcutaneous tissues with a depth over 1.0 cm. This research puts forward a technique termed as Injectable Optical System (IOS) for guiding near‐infrared light (NIR) into deep tissues by optical fibers, which is unattainable by regular NIR photothermal therapy, despite that NIR light is testified as the preferred light window with deepest tissue penetration. Meanwhile, the technique of IOS also possesses the abilities of drug delivery and synchronous sampling the diseased tissues during the treatment of photothermal therapy. According to in vitro and in vivo studies, IOS exhibits distinct advantages in transporting light energy into deeper subcutaneous tissues in contrast with traditional light irradiation on skins. Light would directly transport through the pathway to tumor tissues to realize hyperthermia effect without causing energy loss. Since IOS owns the benefits of clinical biopsy and radiofrequency ablation, it would be a powerful supplement to therapeutic methodologies for treating subcutaneous diseases. The easy modification of IOS offers great promise to combine other analytical techniques to achieve the in situ detection and deep‐sited tumors treatment.

Ultradeep Photothermal Therapy Strategies

“…Further, our group designed a novel injectable optical system (IOS) on the basis of the device of IPTT with the integration of chemical delivery, biopsy sampling, and hyperthermia ablation, simultaneously (Figure 5c). 44 In this study, apart from the protection role of the needle for optical fiber (Figure 6a), the function of PCAs' intratumoral delivery and biopsy sampling from tumor tissues were also integrated into the needle. Similar to the operation of IPTT, the IOS penetrated through skin tissue first (Figure 6b), and then once the IOS was inserted into the targeted tumor, it could be rotated by the operator to take out the fragments of tumor tissues through the needle gap by applying negative pressure at the PCAs inlet portal (Figure 6c).…”

“…Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim. Adapted from ref . Copyright © 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.…”

“…Further, our group designed a novel injectable optical system (IOS) on the basis of the device of IPTT with the integration of chemical delivery, biopsy sampling, and hyperthermia ablation, simultaneously (Figure c) . In this study, apart from the protection role of the needle for optical fiber (Figure a), the function of PCAs’ intratumoral delivery and biopsy sampling from tumor tissues were also integrated into the needle.…”

“…(a) A photograph of the piercing experiment in vitro . Reproduced from ref . Copyright 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.…”

“…(c) H&E staining of tumors from dissection and sampling by IOS system before the PTT treatment. Adapted from ref . Copyright 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.…”