Patent ID: 7767208

Claim:
A method for destroying or impairing target cells of a lesion in the vascular system in a mammalian subject, comprising: administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a photosensitizing agent, wherein the photosensitizing agent is conjugated to a ligand that selectively binds to an antigen on the target cells of the lesion in the vascular system, wherein the ligand is an antibody or an antibody fragment specific to the antigen selected from the group consisting of tumor surface antigen; tumor endothelial antigen; non-tumor endothelial antigen; tumor vessel wall antigen; neointimal antigens; arterial plaque antigens; and vascular smooth muscle cell antigens; and irradiating at least a portion of the subject with light at a wavelength absorbed by the photosensitizing agent, wherein: the light is provided by a light source that is external to the intact body of the subject; the irradiation is at a rate of between about 5 and 100mW/cm 2 and results in the activation of the photosensitizing agent; and the photosensitizing agent is cleared from the skin and subcutaneous tissues of the subject prior to the irradiation; and wherein the duration of radiation exposure is between about 2 hours and 24 hours and the total light dose is between 500 J/cm2 and 10000 J/cm2.