Back Cover: Dual Functioning Thieno‐Pyrrole Fused BODIPY Dyes for NIR Optical Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy: Singlet Oxygen Generation without Heavy Halogen Atom Assistance (Chem. Asian J. 6/2015)

Abstract

Photodynamic Therapy Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive three‐component regimen using light, a photosensitizer (PS), and molecular oxygen. The development of efficient and effective dual‐functioning PSs (i.e., fluorescent PSs) stands to offer a more personalized image‐guided treatment approach. In their Full Paper on page 1335, highlighted on the Back Cover, Youngjae You, Francis D′Souza et al. report on the discovery and identification of key structure–photophysical property relationships within BODIPY dyes that produce singlet oxygen without heavy halogen atom assistance. The exclusion of heavy atoms maintains their high brightness, which was successfully translated in vivo. The authors also demonstrate the phototoxic power of a lead BODIPY compound through optical‐guided photodynamic therapy to effectively control a subcutaneous tumor.