SDL Develops Semiconductor Laser for Cancer Treatment

SDL, Inc. announced the introduction of a high power, low wavelength semiconductor laser to be used for the photodynamic treatment of cancer cells. The 2 Watt 630 nm fiber-coupled laser, developed with funding from QLT PhotoTherapeutics, Inc. is designed for use with the light-activated drug, Photofrin, recently approved for the treatment of lung cancer in Europe.

SDL's laser is one of the world's first approved entries into the emerging field of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), a medical non-invasive procedure that uses light-activated drugs to treat various diseases. By selective accumulation of the drug in tumors followed by selective illumination of the tumor by the new, non-thermal laser source, PDT offers a low risk of damage to adjacent normal tissue, unlike other therapies such as surgery and radiation.