Photodynamic therapy via FRET following bioorthogonal click reaction in cancer cells

Longer wavelength light (650-800 nm) is desired to treat large tumors in photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, shorter wavelength light is needed in PDT for thin tumors, not to cause undesirable local side effects. We proposed a strategy for stepwise optical imaging and PDT using a bioorthogonal click chemistry and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). We prepared azidyl rhodamine (Rh-N₃, clickable FD) and cyclooctynyl phthalocyanine [Pc-(DIBAC), clickable PS], with which, here, we demonstrate that the non-catalytic click chemistry is rapid and efficient in cancer cells and FRET from a fluorescence dye (FD) to a photosensitizer (PS) is sufficient to generate enough singlet oxygen killing cancer cells by using shorter wavelength light.