ALA (5-Aminolevulinic Acid)

Aminolevulinic Acid (ALA) is a naturally occurring compound involved in the production of heme, the molecule that carries oxygen in your blood. Medically, synthetic ALA is used in certain treatments and diagnostics because, when applied to or taken by a patient, it is absorbed by abnormal or cancerous cells. These cells then produce a fluorescent substance called protoporphyrin IX, which glows under special light. This property helps doctors identify and target diseased tissue more accurately, particularly in procedures like detecting skin cancers or treating certain tumors.