ABOUT BOOK

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a branch of phototherapy that has seen a surge of interest in the last few decades, due to its potential in the treatment of various cancers, infections and ~ ~heart disease.(Bonnett, 2000) This chapter aims to give an overview of the various ~ ~photochemical steps involved in PDT as a cancer therapy, and in particular the challenges ~ ~and insight gained from their theoretical description. After a brief review of PDT in general, ~ ~in a biological and chemical context, the photochemical steps involved will be discussed, ~ ~detailing the computational techniques required to model these chemical pathways ~ ~theoretically. We will detail the methodologies that can currently be applied, as well as their ~ ~limitations of use at present, and areas requiring further development.