ASP Program by Session

ASP Program by Session

  • Advancing Light Therapy in the Clinical Setting
    Chair: Gal Shafirstein

    May 18 Afternoon Advancing Light Therapy in the Clinical Setting  
    3:15 – 3:35 Advances in photothermal therapy of hematological malignancies Johannes Zakrzewski
    3:42 – 4:02 Photodynamic Therapy for Basal Cell Carcinoma in Clinical Practice Nathalie Zeitouni
    4:09 – 4:29 Challenges and Opportunities in Treating Malignant Central Airway Obstruction with Interstitial Photodynamic Therapy Nathaniel Ivanick
    4:36 – 4:56 An overview and a New Perspective on Light Dosimetry in Photodynamic Therapy Gal Shafirstein
    5:03 – 5:15 Panel discussion  

  • Antimicrobial PDT Part 1
    Chair: Janusz Dabrowski

    • May 17 Afternoon Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy Part 1  
    3:15 – 3:35 Structure–activity relationships in porphyrinoids for antimicrobial and anticancer photodynamic therapy Janusz Dabrowski
    3:35 – 3:55 Linking ligand architecture to antimicrobial efficacy in Ru(II)-based photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy Maria Auset
    3:55 – 4:15 Antimicrobial Photodynamic Inactivation with 2,3-Distyrylindoles Alexander Kornienko
    4:15 – 4:35 Comparative Photophysical and Photodynamic Inactivation of Aspergillus niger Spores and Staphylococcus aureus by Rutin- and Quercetin-Loaded Nanoemulsions Cristia Villa
    4:35 – 4:55 Exploring antimicrobial photodynamic therapy as a treatment option for complicated urinary tract infection Chelsie Armbruster
    4:55 – 5:15 Transition / Preparation for closing remarks  

  • Antimicrobial PDT Part 2
    Chair: Andres Durantini

    • May 19 Afternoon Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy Part 2  
    3:15 – 3:35 Role of Bacterial Heterogeneity in Modulating ROS-Mediated Antimicrobial Phototherapy Andres Durantini
    3:35 – 3:55 Light-activated silver nanoparticles for inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and elimination of biofilms Juan Vivero-Escoto
    3:55 – 4:15 Engineering Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles for Enhanced Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy of Biofilm-Associated Infections Anna Cristina Samia
    4:15 – 4:35 Structure–Function Insights into Amino-Flavylium Dyes for Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy Patricia Correia
    4:35 – 5:15 Moderated Discussion / Cross-Talk / Audience Q A

  • Bioenergy and Photosynthesis/Photoconversion
    Chair: TBD

  • Chemiexcitation in Mammalian Biology and Medicine
    Chair: Doug Brash

    May 17 Morning Chemiexcitation in Mammalian Biology and Medicine  
    10:05 – 10:20 Chemical excitation of electrons beyond skin & melanin: retina, hormones, neurotransmitters Douglas Brash
    10:20 – 10:40 Melanin as a Redox Hub: From Light Absorption to Dark-Phase Photochemistry Sanjay Premi
    10:45 – 11:00 Monitoring the triplet excited states of synthetic and natural melanins by application of diene probes with different electric charge Tadeusz Sarna

  • Computational Photobiology / Quantum Computing in Photobiology
    Chairs: Marta Alberto, Antonio Francés-Monerris

    May 18 Afternoon Computational Photobiology / Quantum Computing in Photobiology  
    3:15 – 3:35 Computational Modelling of Light-Driven Mechanisms in Metal and Metal-Free Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy Marta Erminia Alberto
    3:35 – 3:55 Multiscale Modelling of Emergent Photoactivated Anticancer Therapies Antonio Francés-Monerris
    3:55 – 4:15 Computational studies of potassium-selective channelrhodopsin Igor Schapiro
    4:15 – 4:35 Quantum computing meets AI: a new frontier for virtual screening of photosensitizers and photocatalysts Stefan Knecht
    4:35 – 4:55 Metal-Based Photosensitizers Design using Quantum Chemical Computational for Photodynamic Therapy Vijay Krishna
    4:55 – 5:15 Moderated Discussion / Cross-Talk / Audience Q&A  

  • Dermato-Oncology: UV-Induced Skin Carcinogenesis Part 1
    Chair: Masaoki Kawasumi

    May 17 Morning Dermato-Oncology: UV-Induced Skin Carcinogenesis Part 1  
    10:05 – 10:35 Glutamatergic signaling in acral/mucosal melanoma Suzie Chen
    10:35 – 11:05 Immunoediting restricts clonal neoantigens in human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma Karen Hastings
    11:05 – 11:30 Coffee break  
    11:30 – 11:52 Epigenetic regulation of UV-induced photoaging: shared molecular pathways in skin carcinogenesis Dong Hun Lee
    11:52 – 12:14 Identifying novel biomarkers for effective prevention of skin carcinogenesis Katie Dixon
    12:14 – 12:36 Polo-like kinase 4 as a driver of cutaneous melanoma progression Nihal Ahmad
    12:36 – 12:58 Transcriptional profiling of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma reveals subtype-specific regulatory programs and therapeutic vulnerabilities Masaoki Kawasumi


  • Dermato-Oncology: UV-Induced Skin Carcinogenesis Part 2
    Chair: Masaoki Kawasumi

    May 19 Afternoon Dermato-Oncology: UV-Induced Skin Carcinogenesis Part 2  
    3:15 – 3:39 Genome-wide maps of mutations and UV photoproducts induced by sunlight John Wyrick
    3:39 – 4:03 Loss of CCAAT enhancer binding protein beta transcription factor primes the keratinocyte cGAS-STING response to UVB-induced DNA damage." Jonathan Hall
    4:03 – 4:27 Protein tyrosine dephosphorylation signaling in the regulation of UVB-induced epidermal apoptosis Dae Kim
    4:27 – 4:51 Immunosuppression by cyclosporine A accelerates melanoma initiation and progression in BRAFV600E/PTENNull mice Gagan Chhabra
    4:51 – 5:15 RNA modifications in UV stress response and tumorigenesis Yu-Ying He


  • ESP-ASP Joint Session: Photosensitization: a Tribute to Professor Miguel A. Miranda
    Chairs: Santi Nonell, Sherri McFarland

  • From Lab to Launch: Entrepreneurship in Photobiology Spotlight
    Chairs: Shiyong Wu, Sumiao Pang

    May 18 Morning From Lab to Launch: Entrepreneurship in Photobiology Spotlight  
    9:05 – 9:25 Acetyl Zingerone: A Multi-Pathway Skin Longevity Molecule Targeting AMPK, Nrf2, and the Matrisome Ratan Chaudhuri
    9:25 – 9:45 Innovative Photoactivated Ruthenium Chemotherapy to treat eye cancer: the translational journey of a university researcher Sylvestre Bonnet
    9:45 – 10:05 Advancing Porphyin-Phospholipid Technology Jonathan Lovell
    10:30 – 10:50 Safety Evaluation and Regulatory Pathways for the Industrialization of Engineered Skin Probiotics Yong Han
    10:50 – 11:10 Lyme Disease, Curly Horses, and Invasive Plants: Translating a Photoantimicrobial for Dental Applications Colin Cameron
    11:10 – 11:30 My Multi‑Decade Entrepreneurial Journey in Playing with Light Sean Wang
    11:30 – 11:50 AI-assisted evaluation of translational potential in photochemistry and photobiology Shiyong Wu

  • Frontiers in Photobiology Part 1: Light-Matter Interactions Across Scales
    Chair: TBD

    • May 18 Afternoon Frontiers I: Living Photonics: Light–Matter Interactions Across Scales  
    3:15 – 3:35 Illuminating ultraweak photon emission research for quantum nonlinear biophotonics Nathan Babcock
    3:35 – 3:55 Lanthanide-based complexes for bioimaging and singlet oxygen generation Ana de Bettencourt-Dias
    3:55 – 4:15 Photostability of therapeutic mAbs and ADCs under real-life light doses Giorgia Miolo
    4:15 – 4:35 Photosynthetic bacteria for light-driven energy production and environmental bioremediation Rossella Labarile
    4:35 – 4:55 Reflectin: a protein machine dynamically fine-tuning the color Daniel Morse
    4:55 – 5:15 Moderated Discussion / Cross-Talk / Audience Q&A  

  • Frontiers in Photobiology Part 2
    Chair: TBD

  • Kendric C. Smith Symposium
    Chair: TBD

  • Molecules for Phototherapy and Bioimaging Part 1
    Chair: Wenfang Sun

  • Molecules for Phototherapy and Bioimaging Part 2
    Chair: Wenfang Sun

  • Ocular Photobiology and Vision
    Chair: Beth Gaillard

  • Optogenetics, Synthetic Biology
    Chair: Ajith Karunarathne

  • Photodynamic Therapy in Translation: Innovations in Technologies through Techniques
    Chair: Theresa Busch

  • Photopharmacology
    Chair: Phoebe Glazer

    May 17 Afternoon Photopharmacology  
    3:15 – 3:35 Light-activated MDM2 inhibitors: Toward spatiotemporal control in cancer therapy Sina Katharina Goetzfried
    3:36 – 4:01 Ruthenium-based photoactivated chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer: recent developments Sylvestre Bonnet
    4:02 – 4:27 Photoactivatable Platinum(IV) Complexes: Versatile Chemical Tools for Biomedical Applications Yaorong Zheng
    4:28 – 4:48 Ruthenium photocaged CHIR99021 for robust stem cell differentiation Teresa Rapp
    4:49 – 5:14 Selective targeting of proteins and pathways using photopharmacology Phoebe Glazer

  • Photobiology Across the Visible Spectrum: Oxidative Stress, Skin Pigmentation, Clinical Responses, Photoprotection, Aging, and Photocarcinogenesis
    Chairs: Eduardo Ruvolo, Indermeet Kohli

  • Photosensitization Mechanisms and Photoreaction Pathways
    Chair: Ryan McCulla

  • Photothermal Therapy (PTT)
    Chair: Emily Gawrys

  • Structures and Mechanisms of Photoreceptors and Light-sensitive Proteins
    Chair: Xiaojing Yang

    May 18 Morning Structures and Mechanisms of Photoreceptors and Light-sensitive Proteins  
    9:05-9:35 Dynamics of mechanism of a dual function of DNA repair and signal transduction by CraCRY protein Dongping Zhong
    9:35-10:05 Light-induced structural changes in B12-dependent photoreceptor CarH revealed by temperature-scan crystallography Zhong Ren
    10:05-10:30 Coffee break  
    10:30-11:55 From femtoseconds to function: integrative spectroscopy to develop novel fast red reversible photoswitchable fluorescent proteins. Michel Sliwa
    10:55-11:20 Energy transfer from phycobilisomes to photosystems and its regulation Jindong Zhao
    11:20-11:40 Investigating the solvent specific spectral responses of carotenoids through resonance Raman spectroscopy Kaustavm Das
    11:40-12:00 Molecular mechanisms of spectrum tuning in far-red photoreceptor Xiaojing Yang

  • The Skin Cancer Epidemic: An Arizona Perspective on Innovative Scientific and Population Based Approaches to Address the Challenge
    Chairs: Georg Wondrak, Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski

  • Trainee Platform I
    Chair: TBD

    May 19 Morning Trainee Platform I  
    10:30 – 10:42 Heterogeneous oxygen dynamics during photodynamic therapy detected with real-time ultrasound-guided photoacoustic imaging for personalized dosimetry Andrew Langley
    10:42 – 10:54 Cholesterol-Dependent Regulation of PHB-1 Nuclear Function and Self-Aggregation Following Solar UV Irradiation in Keratinocytes Zeinab Fayyaz
    10:54 – 11:06 Investigating structure-activity relationships of photoactive metallodrugs as antimicrobials Gurleen Kaur
    11:06 – 11:18 Synthesis and characterization of homoleptic oligothienyl-substituted Ir(III) and Ru(II) bis(terpyridine) complexes: photophysics and photodynamic therapeutic effects Kalara Develigoda Gamage
    11:18 – 11:30 Synthesis and Characterization of Light-Triggered Metal Complexes for Cancer Treatment Dalton Lucas
    11:30 – 11:42 Photochemistry and Mechanistic Studies of Diaryl Sulfondiimine Derivatives Paul Danyi
    11:42 – 11:54 Light Transmission as an Indication for Response to Interstitial Photodynamic Therapy Chris Lawson
    11:54 – 12:00 Judges Deliberation  

  • Trainee Platform II
    Chair: TBD

    May 19 Afternoon Trainee Platform II  
    3:15 – 3:27 Programmable Photo-Active CPC-like Surfactants as Environmentally Benign Alternatives to Cationic Antimicrobial Agents Balaka Ghosh
    3:27 – 3:39 Optimizing the phototherapy effects of metallodrug photosensitizers for cancer treatment  Ge Shi
    3:39 – 3:51 Patterns in Polyphylla: shifts in coloration and pattern in response to climate change Colton Roberts-Zaffiro
    3:51 – 4:03 Biocompatibility of Non-Aqueous Solvents with Rhodobacter sphaeroides Chromatophores Claudia Zonno
    4:03 – 4:15 Photobiological Applications of Light-Activated Metallodrugs Alisher Talgatov
    4:15 – 4:27 Expanding the NIR fluorophore toolbox: A general route to access polymethine-modified Cyanine 9 dyes for deep-tissue imaging Jared Head
    4:27 – 4:39 Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein (CREB) as a novel biomarker for evaluating photoprotection of photoprotective agents in attenuating skin carcinogenesis Julianne Nayar
    4:39 – 4:51 Comparative evaluation of perfluorocarbon core dependent nanodroplets for enhanced photodynamic therapy in 3D head and neck cancer spheroids Ronak Shethia
    4:51 – 5:15 Judges Deliberation  

  • Translational Photodynamic Strategies: Immune Responses, Priming, and Therapeutic Synergy
    Chair: Joe Huang

    May 17 Morning Translational Photodynamic Strategies: Immune Responses, Priming, and Therapeutic Synergy  
    10:05 – 10:35 Image-guided photoimmunotherapy reveals immune priming and tumor–immune dynamics in preclinical models Bryan Spring
    10:35 – 11:05 Photochemical Targeting of the Ovarian Cancer Lipidome: Docosahexaenoic Acid Sensitizes Ovarian Cancer Cells to Photodynamic Priming and Ferroptosis Marta Overchuk
    11:05 – 12:00 Beyond Cytotoxicity: Photodynamic Priming to Disable Drug Efflux and Restore Therapeutic Response Huang Chiao Huang
    12:00 – 12:30 Combination of vitamin D with photodynamic therapy for treatment of B16 malignant melanoma in mice Sanjay Anand
    12:30 – 1:00 Targeted Organelle Localization-Induced Polymerization for Live-cell Imaging and Cancer Therapy Ja-Hyoung Ryu

  • Ultrafast Dynamics in Photobiology
    Chair: Carlos Crespo

  • UVB-Induced DNA Damage, Repair, and Skin Carcinogenesis
    Chair: Veronica Bahamondes Lorca

  • UVC Germicidal Science
    Chair: David Sliney