Photonics in Advanced Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract

Light-based technologies offer a unique combination of spatial precision, remote controllability, and minimal invasiveness for triggering and guiding drug release, making photonics an increasingly powerful tool in modern drug delivery. This talk presents a body of work integrating laser and optical techniques with drug-delivery platforms across multiple scales, from biodegradable polymer films and microcapsules to cell-based carriers.
Laser microperforation of bioresorbable films is used to engineer controlled, tunable drug-elution profiles, while additive manufacturing enables multilayer drug-eluting films with increased local drug loading and sustained antimicrobial release. Stimuli-responsive, laser-triggered polymeric microstructured depots are developed for on-demand local delivery of vasoactive and anti-inflammatory agents directly to targeted vessels or tissues. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is discussed as a complementary, light-driven strategy for enhancing drug delivery, including laser-mediated opening of the blood–brain barrier and macrophage-mediated delivery of photosensitizer-loaded microcapsules for improved tumor treatment. Supporting instrumentation, including LED-based illumination systems for photosensitizer efficacy assessment, is also presented.
Together, these studies illustrate how the integration of photonics with materials science and biomedical engineering enables multifunctional drug-delivery platforms with controllable release kinetics and light-activated, site-specific therapeutic action, opening new avenues for precision medicine in oncology, neurology, and local pharmacotherapy.

Speaker

Arkady Abdurashitov
Center for Bio- and Medical Technologies, Skoltech; Life Improvement by Future Technology (LIFT) Center, Moscow, Russia
Russia

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