Portable Acoustic Holographic Optical Waveguide Device for Phototherapy

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy have emerged as indispensable modalities to treat diseases. However, their efficacy is hindered by the substantial light scattering within tissues, preventing light transmission effectively to targeted lesion sites. Various existing devices aimed at mitigating light scattering typically exhibit invasiveness and complexity. In this work, we propose an approach that utilizes a portable acoustic holographic optical waveguide device to mitigate light scattering by manipulating the refractive index within tissues. This manipulation allows in situ modulation of scattered light, thereby promoting the concentration of photon energy. We demonstrated that the device can mitigate light scattering in a medium through simulation and optical imaging experiments. Second, we demonstrated in both photothermal and photodynamic experiments that the device can enhance the rate of temperature rise in the medium and the rate of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation, respectively. It is foreseeable that this versatility in overcoming light scattering can augment the outcomes of phototherapy, offering a noninvasive, portable, and robust method.