Bin Chen

faculty photo
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
Member, ITMAT
Department: Radiation Oncology

Contact information
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
University of the Sciences
600 South 43rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Education:
BS (Pharmacy)
Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 1992.
MS (Pharmacology)
Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 1995.
Ph.D. (Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Catholic University Leuven, 2002.
Post-Graduate Training
Optical tumor targeting and imaging, Dartmouth College, 2002-2004.
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Description of Research Expertise

Our research focuses on understanding the mechanism of anticancer agents and designing mechanism-based approaches for therapeutic enhancement. We are particularly interested in studying the mechanism of photosensitizing agents, which generate therapeutic effects through the production of reactive oxygen species upon laser light activation. This light-based therapy termed photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been approved for cancer treatment in the clinic. Our current research aims to identify important cell signaling pathways and molecular targets that determine the response of vascular-targeted PDT and pharmacologically modulate these molecular targets for therapeutic enhancement. Another research interest in the lab is on the abnormal porphyrin metabolism in tumors. Some tumors have been known to accumulate more porphyrin metabolites particularly protoporphyin IX than normal tissues. Abnormal porphyrin metabolism in tumors has led to the use of porphyrin precursor aminolevulinic acid (ALA) for tumor detection, fluorescence-guided resection and PDT treatment. We are investigating why tumor cells exhibit enhanced porphyrin accumulation and how this altered porphyrin metabolism can be better used for tumor detection and treatment. We collaborate with Drs. Theresa Busch, Keith Cengel, and Tim Zhu at PDT Center in the Department of Radiation Oncology.

Description of Itmat Expertise

Dr. Chen focuses on the mechanisms of photodynamic therapy in cancer treatments, particularly related to photodynamic tumor vascular targeting. He is currently investigating the mechanism of photodynamic vascular targeting for the treatment of prostate cancer and its interaction with chemotherapy or antibody therapy.

Selected Publications

Howley R, Mansi M, Shinde J, Restrepo J, Chen B: Evaluation of aminolevulinic acid-mediated protoporphyrin IX fluorescence and enhancement by ABCG2 inhibitors in renal cell carcinoma cells. J Photochem Photobiol B 211: 112017, Oct 2020 Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2020.112017.

Kraus D, Palasuberniam P, Chen B: Therapeutic enhancement of verteporfin-mediated photodynamic therapy by mTOR inhibitors. Photochem Photobiol 96(2): 358-364, Mar 2020.

Palasuberniam P, Kraus D, Mansi M, Braun A, Howley R, Myers K, Chen B: Ferrochelatase deficiency abrogated the enhancement of aminolevulinic acid-mediated protoporphyrin IX by iron chelator deferoxamine. Photochem Photobiol 95(4): 1052-1059, Jul 2019.

Kraus D, Palasuberniam P, Chen B. : Targeting phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling pathway for therapeutic enhancement of vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy. Mol Cancer Ther 16(11): 2422-2431, Nov 2017.

Yang X, Palasuberniam P, Myers K, Wang C, Chen B: Her2 oncogene transformation enhances 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated protoporphyrin IX production and photodynamic therapy response. Oncotarget 7(36): 57798-57810, Sep 2016.

Palasuberniam P, Yang X, Kraus D, Jones P, Myers KA, Chen B: ABCG2 transporter inhibitor restores the sensitivity of triple negative breast cancer cells to aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy. Sci Rep 5: 13298, Aug 2015 Notes: doi: 10.1038/srep13298.

Yang X, Li W, Palasuberniam P, Myers KA, Wang C, Chen B: Effects of Silencing Heme Biosynthesis Enzymes on 5-Aminolevulinic Acid-mediated Protoporphyrin IX Fluorescence and Photodynamic Therapy. Photochem Photobiol 94(4): 923-30, Jul-Aug 2015.

Fateye B, Wan A, Yang X, Myers K, Chen B: Comparison between endothelial and tumor cells in the response to verteporfin-photodynamic therapy and a PI3K pathway inhibitor. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther 12(1): 19-86, Mar 2015.

Li Zhuzhu, Agharkar Priyanka, Chen Bin: Therapeutic enhancement of vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy by inhibiting proteasomal function. Cancer letters 339(1): 128-34, Oct 2013.

Fateye Babasola, Li Weihua, Wang Chenguang, Chen Bin: Combination of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases pathway inhibitor and photodynamic therapy in endothelial and tumor cells. Photochemistry and photobiology 88(5): 1265-72, Sep-Oct 2012.

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Last updated: 07/23/2021
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