An inner light integrated metal-organic framework photodynamic therapy system for effective elimination of deep-seated tumor cells

Photodynamic therapy(PDT) has become an important cancer treatment method in recent years and is widely used in skin cancers and melanoma treatments. At present, PDT faces one of the most important obstacles, that is, the therapeutic field is limited due to insufficient penetration depth of light. In this study, a novel photodynamic system based on metal-organic framework (MOF) with integrated inner light, Lu@CoTCPP(Pd), was designed and synthesized. The system has selectivity as it only works in H₂O₂ abundant areas such as melanoma, colorectal and ovarian tumors. This research may greatly expand the cure range of photodynamic therapy (PDT) through the inner chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) induced singlet oxygen production.