We are a group of 10 multi-disciplinary investigators representing 6 departments at the University of California, Irvine with 11 federally funded research grants impacted by this request for instrumentation. We are seeking funds for a multi-wavelength photodynamic therapy (PDT) continuous wave light source to be housed and supported within the well-established NIH-NCRR Biomedical Technology Resource Center (P41-RR01192, Laser Microbeam and Medical Program, LAMMP) at the Beckman Laser Institute. The LAMMP facility is dedicated to defining and understanding broad issues related to the use of light as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. BLI has been involved in developing, advancing and translating PDT science since the early 1980's and our center has a very strong foundation in technology development. There is an urgent need for a commercial, user-friendly multi-wavelength PDT light source to be housed and managed within our NIH resource. There are very few centers in the United States capable of performing the projects described in this proposal. PDT science is much more advanced in Europe and Asia. The proposed projects were initiated as pilot/feasibility studies using obsolete light sources limiting translation of the PDT science to clinical application. There is a critical need at our center to upgrade and utilize commercially available technology to support this research and to translate our technologies for patient use. Continued progress for these NIH-funded investigators is hampered without access to such an instrument. It is expected that the requested instrumentation will have a significant overall benefit to the UC Irvine research community and beyond, based on the existing strong impact of the LAMMP and its dissemination of new discoveries to colleagues and collaborators.
