SAN JOSE, Calif., May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- SDL, Inc. (NASDAQ:SDLI), a market
leader in high power semiconductor lasers, today announced the highest power,
lowest 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. (NASDAQ:QLTIEF), is designed
for use with the light-activated drug, Photofrin(R), 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.
Additional types of PDT that may provide markets for the Company's new product
are currently in various stages of development and regulatory review in North
America, Japan and Europe. According to Donald R. Scifres, Chairman and CEO
of SDL, Inc., "SDL was proud to be selected to provide the light source for
this revolutionary new form of cancer treatment. This project is encouraging
as we believe it offers both important endorsement of our technology for use
in the health care market and reinforces our strategy to leverage our core
laser and fiber optic technologies to develop products in new, non-traditional
applications." |
