Figure 1.

A combination of Magnetic Drug Targeting (MDT) and Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles loaded with hypericin (SPION^Hyp) are applied intra-arterially into the tumor-supplying vascular system (1) and enriched in the tumor region using an external magnetic field (2). With light illumination (3), hypericin is activated and induces cell death by reactive oxygen species (ROS) (4). Cell death is accompanied by the release of antigens and damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) (5), fostering antigen-presenting cells to take up tumor antigens and to cross-present them to T cells (6). Finally, a long-term anti-tumor response by the immune system is induced (7).