BACKGROUND: Upregulation of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in a variety of cancer cell lines, a key enzyme of prostaglandin biosynthesis, relative to surrounding normal tissues results in the use of the COX-2 protein as an attractive molecular target for many anticancer therapeutics. This could have a significant implication for selective destruction of cancer cells via the photodynamic therapy effects, leaving the normal tissue intact. EXPERIMENTAL: Here, a COX-2-specific NIR photosensitizer (Se-C RESULT AND DISCUSSION: In this study, Se-C CONCLUSION: Se-C