Definition

A formulation composed of nanoparticles derived from the human papillomavirus (HPV-NPs) and conjugated to the infrared (IR)-activated fluorescent dye IR700 (IR-700), with potential antineoplastic activity. Upon intravitreal injection of belzupacap sarotalocan, the HPV-NPs target and bind to heparan-sulfated proteoglycans (HSPG) expressed by ocular melanoma cells. Upon irradiation with near-IR (NIR) light, the photosensitizer IR700 becomes activated, generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and selectively damages the melanoma cell membrane, which induces necrosis of the melanoma cells while sparing the surrounding, healthy non-HSPG-expressing tissue, and potentially preserving vision. HSPGs are overexpressed on a variety of cancer cell types.