Compositions for photodynamic therapy and fluorescence diagnosis of cancers and other diseases

A method of treating cancer, the method comprising administering an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition to an area of a patient in need of treatment, and

• irradiating the area in need of treatment to generate reactive oxygen species after administration of the pharmaceutical composition, thereby treating the cancer and wherein
• the pharmaceutical composition comprises an effective amount of at least one type of conjugate comprising a porphyrin,
• wherein the porphyrin is protoporphyrin IX (PpIX),
• and a recombinant protein comprising a di-alpha chain of human globin having the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 and two beta chains of human globin, each beta chain having the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, and
• a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

A method of producing a pharmaceutical composition, the method comprising

• constructing a vector plasmid comprising a promoter, a recombinant protein of human alpha and beta globin, and a selectable marker,
• transforming a bacterial strain by inserting the plasmid therein, wherein the bacterial strain endogenously produces PpIX;
• selecting bacterial clones using an antibiotic corresponding to the selectable marker;
• culturing the bacterial clones in a fermentation medium;
• purifying conjugates from the fermentation medium, wherein the conjugates comprise PpIX non-covalently associated with the recombinant protein of human alpha and beta globin;
• optionally adding a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier to the purified conjugates, thereby forming the pharmaceutical composition, and
• wherein the porphyrin is protoporphyrin IX (PpIX),
• wherein the recombinant protein comprises a di-alpha chain of human globin having the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 and two beta chains of human globin, each beta chain having the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2.

A method of reducing the volume of a tumor in a subject, the method comprising:

• administering an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition to an area of the subject where the tumor is found, wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises
• at least one type of conjugate comprising a porphyrin and a recombinant protein of human alpha and beta globin;
• and
• wherein the porphyrin is protoporphyrin IX (PpIX),
• wherein the recombinant protein comprises a di-alpha chain of human globin having the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 and two beta chains of human globin, each beta chain having the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2;
• a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient;
• and
• irradiating the area where the tumor is found to generate reactive oxygen species after administration of the pharmaceutical composition, thereby reducing the volume of the tumor in the area where of the subject where the tumor is found.