Still taking abstracts: Joint FDA/American Society for Photobiology Topical Symposium being held October 16, 2010 in Rockville, MD.

Announcement: Joint FDA/American Society for Photobiology Topical Symposium being held October 16, 2010 in Rockville, MD. Title "Light and Internal Tissues: Applications, Basic Science and Future Direction".

 

For further info, go to:

 

 http://www.pol-us.net/ASP_Home/asp_meet.html

 

 

American Society for

Photobiology Topical

Symposium

Light and Internal Tissues:

Applications, Basic Science and Future Directions

 

(Co-sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration)

Date: October 16, 2009

Rockville, MD USA

Implications of Light Exposures of Internal and other Vulnerable Tissues for the

Safety Assessments of Medical Devices

With the development of optical-fiber endoscopic viewing (and illumination) systems over the

past 30 years, more intense light sources have been developed. These new, more intense

surgical light sources and optical diagnostic devices raise the question: what levels are

considered safe for internal tissues? Are the same molecular and cellular repair mechanisms

that protect epidermal tissues present in all epithelial tissues? Typically, medical device

manufacturers consider that safety levels developed for exposure of the skin to ultraviolet,

infrared and visible radiation can be directly translated to apply to mucosal and other internal

tissues. However, there is limited data, to date, to support this assumption. Additional questions

have arisen with regard to exposure of other potentially sensitive tissues, e.g. pediatric or

neonatal skin. Are internal exposures of the fetus to bright light potentially hazardous to the

developing eye? These and other topics will be discussed in this topical symposium.

Topics Include:

•Internal light applications in therapeutic and diagnostic medicine

•FDA concerns – risk assessment

•Optical properties of tissues

•Action spectra: Wavelength vs chemical/biological endpoints from UVC to IR

•Skin: The most studied tissue with respect to light exposure

•Experimental biology: applications (RPT, laser therapy)

•Photosensitizers