National Medical Laser Centre

Graduated from University of Cambridge, PhD from University of London, Queen Mary College.

Dr MacRobert has carried out research at University of Oxford, University of Bielefeld, Germany, The Royal Institution and Imperial College London.

Current Research Interests

Biomedical applications of optical spectroscopy, including optical diagnostics of tissue constructs and fluorescence imaging for early cancer detection.

Selected publications

Kunz L, Connelly JP, Woodhams JH, MacRobert AJ. Photodynamic modification of disulfonated aluminium phthalocyanine fluorescence in a macrophage cell line. Photochem Photobiol Sci. (2007) 6, 940-8.
Battah S., Balaratnam S., Casas A., O'Neill S., Edwards C., Batlle A., Dobbin P., MacRobert A.J. Macromolecular delivery of 5-aminolaevulinic acid for photodynamic therapy using dendrimer conjugates. Mol. Cancer Therapeutics (2007) 6: 876-885.
Battah S., O'Neill S., Edwards C., Balaratnam S., Dobbin P., MacRobert A.J. Enhanced porphyrin accumulation using dendritic derivatives of 5-aminolaevulinic acid for photodynamic therapy: An in vitro study. Int J Biochem & Cell Biol (2006) 38: 1382-1392.
Sharwani A., Jerjes W., Salih V., MacRobert A.J., El-Maaytah A., Khalil H.S.M., Hopper C. Fluorescence spectroscopy combined with 5-aminolevulinic acid-induced protoporphyrin IX fluorescence in detecting oral premalignancy. J Photochem Photobiol B (2006) 83: 27-33.
Rogers M.A.L., McGovern P.G., Butler A.R., MacRobert A.J., Eggleston I.M. An efficient synthesis of 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) containing peptides for use in photodynamic therapy. Tetrahedron (2005) 61: 6951-58.
Theodossiou T., Spiro M.D., Jacobson J., Hothersall J.S., MacRobert A.J. Evidence for intracellular aggregation of hypericin and the impact on its photocytotoxicity in PAM 212 murine keratinocytes. Photochem Photobiol (2004) 80: 438-43.
MacRobert A.J., Theodossiou T. Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer. Chemical Applications of Lasers. Encyclopedia of Modern Optics, Elsevier, Oxford (2004): 53-62.
Theodossiou T., Hothersall J.S., Woods E.A., Okkenhaug K., Jacobson J., MacRobert A.J. In vitro photodynamic therapy by intracellular chemiluminescence in transgenic NIH 3T3 cells. Cancer Research (2003) 63: 1818-1821.
Marenzana M., Pickard D., MacRobert A.J., Brown R.A. Optical measurement of 3D collagen gel constructs by elastic scattering spectroscopy. Tissue Engineering (2002) 8: 409-418.
Theodossiou T., MacRobert A.J. Comparison of the photodynamic effect of exogenous photoprotoporphyrin and protoporphyrin IX on PAM 212 murine keratinocytes. Photochem. Photobiol (2002) 76: 75-82.
Kunz L., MacRobert A.J. Intracellular photobleaching of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(m-hydroxyphenyl) chlorin (Foscan) exhibits a complex dependence on oxygen level and fluence rate. Photochem. Photobiol (2002) 75: 28-35.
Connelly JP, Botchway SW, Kunz L, Pattison D, Parker AW, MacRobert AJ. Time-resolved fluorescence imaging of photosensitiser distributions in mammalian cells using a picosecond laser line-scanning microscope J. Photochem.Photobiol A (2001) 142, 169-175.