Concerns identifying developmental pathways that promote mammalian disease and design of therapeutic modalities and agents to prevent progression. The emergence of concomitant photodynamic detection and therapy has been currently approved for the treatment of psoriasis, age related macular degeneration, and cancer. The design of novel near infrared photosensitizers (light sensitive drugs) with reactive functional groups enables these agents to be conjugated to disease specific target vectors for the detection, treatment, and ultimate expansion of this underutilized regimen