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First and second-generation photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) are in clinical trials, with a few approved for clinical application. While effective, several drawbacks have remained unaddressed that could increase the impact of PDT as an efficient therapy, including lack of selectivity to diseased tissue, toxicity, low to moderate light absorption, and poor solubility of the sensitizers that results in low bioavailability. It’s likely that a new generation of PDT sensitizers must be developed to improve on these shortcomings.

In this review, we summarize our progress in the development of Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles as a next generation nanotherapeutic for Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). We show that their unprecedented light absorption, efficient ROS generation, high level of targeted delivery and selective uptake, absence of dark toxicity and high percentage of PDT induced cell mortality observed indicate a promising next generation PDT sensitizer. The simple design and ease of fabrication of the Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles holds promise for broad applicability.