PPS Blog

We would like to highlight the Outstanding Reviewers for Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences in 2019, as selected by the editorial team, for their significant contribution to the journal. The reviewers have been chosen based on the number, timeliness and quality of the reports completed over the last 12 months.

We would like to say a big thank you to those individuals listed here as well as to all of the reviewers that have supported the journal. Each Outstanding Reviewer will receive a certificate to give recognition for their significant contribution.

Professor Jiro Abe, Aoyama Gakuin University, ORCID: 0000-0002-0237-815X

Professor Maria Amparo Faustino, University of Aveiro, ORCID: 0000-0003-4423-3802

Professor Federico Bella, Polytechnic University of Turin, ORCID: 0000-0002-2282-9667

Dr Terje Christensen, Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority ORCID: 0000-0002-1109-6074

Dr Fabienne DuMoulin, Gebze Technical University ORCID: 0000-0002-0388-8338

Professor Albert Girotti, Medical College of Wisconsin

Professor Virginie Lhiaubet-Vallet, Polytechnic University of Valencia, ORCID: 0000-0002-8205-8892

Professor Werner Nau, Jacobs University Bremen, ORCID: 0000-0002-7654-6232

Professor Terrence Piva, RMIT University, ORCID: 0000-0003-0343-1781

Professor Valentine Vullev, University of California, Riverside, ORCID: 0000-0002-3416-9686

We would also like to thank the Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences board and the photochemical and photobiological community for their continued support of the journal, as authors, reviewers and readers.

If you would like to become a reviewer for our journal, just email us with details of your research interests and an up-to-date CV or résumé. You can find more details in our author and reviewer resource centre

Following the success of Peer Review Week in September 2016 (dedicated to reviewer recognition) during which we published a list of our top reviewers, we are delighted to announce that we will continue to recognise the contribution that our reviewers make to the journal by announcing our Outstanding Reviewers each year.

We would like to highlight the Outstanding Reviewers for Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences in 2016, as selected by the editorial team, for their significant contribution to the journal. The reviewers have been chosen based on the number, timeliness and quality of the reports completed over the last 12 months.

We would like to say a big thank you to those individuals listed here as well as to all of the reviewers that have supported the journal. Each Outstanding Reviewer will receive a certificate to give recognition for their significant contribution.

Professor Adelaide Almeida, University of Aveiro
Dr Ross Boyle, University of Hull
Dr Frank de Gruijl, Leiden University Medical School
Dr Thierry Douki, CEA-Grenoble
Dr Axel Griesbeck, University of Cologne
Dr Asta Juzeniene, Oslo University Hospital
Dr Uwe Pischel, University of Huelva
Professor Eric Vauthey, University of Geneva
Professor Rene Williams, Universiteit van Amsterdam

We would also like to thank the Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences board and the Inorganic community for their continued support of the journal, as authors, reviewers and readers.

If you would like to become a reviewer for our journal, just email us with details of your research interests and an up-to-date CV or résumé.  You can find more details in our author and reviewer resource centre

For photobiological investigations in relation to human beings, we hereby announce the awarding of the

17. Arnold Rikli Prize

in the amount of 10.000,– Euro for the year 2016.

The prize was originally awarded by the Institute F. Wolff of Riehen, Switzerland and first established in 1989. Jörg Wolff, the brother of the former sponsor, contin-ues this tradition and the price is announced by the Jörg Wolff foundation every year since 2006.

The submitted reports should cover investigations on biological effects of optical ra-diation (ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation). The results should show new as-pects for diagnostic investigation and/or therapy or provide guidelines for the practi-cal utilization of biologic basics and/or future research with optical radiation.

Unpublished papers, or papers published after January 1, 2014, must be submitted in English or German language and be delivered to the office address mentioned below not later than February 28, 2017 (two copies required). The submission should focus on one area of speciality. An additional abstract of no more than 300 words should outline the research and the significance of it. In case that the sub-mission is “in cumulo“ (five studies at most) a brief explanation should be provided uniting the presentations together. It is desirable to enclose a letter of support for the award nomination.

An independent jury will evaluate the investigations and nominate the winner. The presentation of the award will take place at the Symposium “Biologic Effects of Light”, June 21 to 23, 2017 in Homburg/Saar (Germany).

Office address:

Dr. Peter Bocionek
c/o JW Holding GmbH
Kölner Straße 8
D-70376 Stuttgart
Germany

The influence of Pluronics^® on dark cytotoxicity, photocytotoxicity, localization and uptake of curcumin in cancer cells: studies of curcumin and curcuminoids XLIX.
Ravinder Singh, Hanne Hjorth Tønnesen, Solveig Kristensen and Kristian Berg
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2013, 12, 559-575

Formulation by amphiphilic copolymers, e.g. nonionic Pluronics^®, that spontaneously form nanoparticulate micellar carriers (10-100 nm) in aqueous media is one possible strategy to solubilize lipophilic photosensitizers and improve bioavailability, as investigated in this paper by in vitro cellular studies. Pluronics consist of hydrophilic poly-ethylene oxide (EO) and hydrophobic poly-propylene oxide (PO) blocks arranged in a sequential manner (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Pluronic block copolymers, x = number of ethylene oxide groups (EO), y = number of propylene oxide groups (PO).

Pluronics form micelles with a hydrophobic core and hydrophilic corona when individual polymer chains spontaneously assemble into nanosized aggregates above a certain concentration (critical micelle concentration, cmc) and temperature (critical micelle temperature, cmt). The self-assembly of amphiphilic polymers is a reversible process. However, owing to a prolonged in vivo circulation time prior to dissociation, a high solubilizing capability and low toxicity, several Pluronics are approved for oral or intravenous administration, e.g. by the US Food and Drug Administration.

From left to right: Ravinder Singh, Hanne Hjorth Tønnesen, Solveig Kristensen and Kristian Berg

The Pluronic block composition will influence polymeric lipophilicity, micellar aggregation number, shape and size, cmc and cmt values, drug loading and localization, and the release of drug from the formulation. A proper selection of the polymeric blocks may enable development of optimized drug formulations with enhanced accumulation of the selected photosensitizer in cancer cells, as studied in this paper by formulation of the highly lipophilic photosensitizer Curcumin with selected Pluronics.

The field of pluronics has excited much interest lately, not least for the potential of these interesting polymers to assist in targeting cancer calls. The paper described above is an excellent example of how “pluronics” can be applied to improve targeting of photosensitisers in to cells and was one of the most accessed PPS articles on the Royal Society of Chemistry’s website last year.