FLEXITHERALIGHT

Actinic Keratosis (AK) are scaly or crusty growths (lesions) caused by damage from the sun’s ultraviolet rays (UVR), Actinic Keratosis (AK) is also known as solar keratoses. Untreated AKs can advance to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the second most common form of skin cancer, and some experts believe they are actually the earliest stage of SCC. Up to 58 million of US citizens have actinic keratosis (AK). Treatment options include ablative (destructive) therapies such as cryosurgery, curettage with electrosurgery, and photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy is well tolerated, has excellent cosmetic results, and has reported cure rates between 69 and 93 %, with fewer side effects compared to the other treatment options. Therefore, the main challenge in order to ensure the development of such treatment is to guarantee a uniform light illumination of the skin due to the complexity of the human anatomy. We propose in this project to develop a flexible light source that would considerably improve the homogeneity of light delivery, and to develop clinical evaluation phase 1 in order to validate the efficiency of new textile based light sources. This textile solution could offer an interesting, flexible and cheap alternative as light source for PDT. Specific patterns based on different satin weaves were developed to improve light emission homogeneity and efficiency. The aims of the present proposal are, at the clinical evaluation phase 1: - to check the most suitable textile structures able to generate the suitable light with an optimal homogeneity over all the surface of the treated skin area, - to evaluate the benefits of PDT with flexible light structure on AK treatment according two different protocols. In parallel, efforts will be done to develop and optimize the textile structure, to ensure the scale up and to reduce the cost of the flexible light source in view of industrial application. Finally in case of success, the methods and the flexible light source will be tested on other applications of PDT such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), hirsutism and acne with red light and for baby’s physiologic jaundice with blue light.