[Development of photodegradable nanoparticle for phototherapy].

Proteins have several remarkable advantages over conventional chemical catalysts. For these reasons, proteins are widely used in many fields. We have developed a hydrogel-based protein immobilization scheme that allows proteins to maintain their activity for a long period of time. Recently, we developed a photodegradable hydrogel and used it to control the biological activities of proteins. Protein activity is restricted when the protein is encapsulated within the gel, and the activity is restored when the protein is released from the gel by UV irradiation. It is expected that the drug delivery using the photodegradable hydrogel and phototherapy is a good combination for therapy of psoriasis vulgaris.