Experimental Studies of Photodynamic Therapy

The photodynamic therapy (PDT) represents a modern approach in the diagnosis and treatment of pre-malignant and malignant disorders. It consists in the administration of a photosensitizer (systemically or locally) and the subsequent irradiation with an appropriate wavelength so that in the presence of oxygen, singlet oxygen and free radicals may be generated leading to a destructive effect on the tumor cells. 
The goal of this workshop is to study the effect of PDT on an experimental model of Walker carcinoma-sarcoma in Wistar rats. The first part will consist in generating the experimental model by transplanting the tumor subcutaneously and afterwards PDT will be performed. The second part will be focused on determining the oxidative stress parameters from the tumor using biochemical techniques. These parameters represent markers of the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during the treatment. This workshop aims for its participants to obtain some surgical skills in animal experimental models and some knowledge regarding the biochemical techniques used to quantify the effects of PDT.