About
The project
The PBM Database
The PBM Database is an independent, long-term resource that brings together published photobiomodulation research. It includes studies indexed under related terms such as low-level laser therapy and red or near-infrared phototherapy, making a dispersed literature easier to find in one place.
Where source records provide them, entries include the condition studied, study type, model, country and treatment parameters. Readers can use these details to compare studies, explore the volume of research across conditions and follow how the field is developing.
The database itself was compiled and maintained entirely by hand from 2016 to 2026. Much of this website’s factual content is drawn from its data; the site’s visual structure was created with AI assistance.
The creator
Vladimir Heiskanen
Vladimir Heiskanen is a Finnish dentist and creator of the PBM Database. He began collecting PBM research after writing about red and near-infrared light for a Finnish health blog. In 2013, he published an overview of studies across health conditions and began building the database in 2016.
His publications include peer-reviewed reviews and WALT position papers on photobiomodulation, a systematic review of PBM for cancer-treatment-related salivary gland dysfunction, and work on blue and green light and sunlight. Some have received substantial citations.
In 2026, the World Association for Photobiomodulation Therapy (WALT) awarded him the WALT Prize for his database work. He also serves on the board of Skepsis ry in Finland and has taken part in public fact-checking and critical examination of health claims.
Contact valtsu.heiskanen@gmail.comFacebook profile
Selected publications8 papers
- Photobiomodulation: lasers vs. light emitting diodes?2018 · Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences · co-author
- Under the spotlight: mechanisms of photobiomodulation concentrating on blue and green light2019 · Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences · co-author
- Sunlight and health: shifting the focus from vitamin D3 to photobiomodulation by red and near-infrared light2020 · Ageing Research Reviews · first author
- Photobiomodulation Therapy in the Management of Orofacial Neuropathic Pain—WALT Position Paper2026 · Journal of Clinical Medicine · co-author
- Photobiomodulation therapy in management of cancer therapy-induced side effects: WALT position paper 20222022 · Frontiers in Oncology · co-author
- Photobiomodulation Therapy for Cancer Treatment-Related Salivary Gland Dysfunction: A Systematic Review2020 · systematic review · first author
- Non-mammalian Hosts and Photobiomodulation: Do All Life-forms Respond to Light?2018 · Photochemistry and Photobiology · co-author
- Punainen valo ja lähi-infrapuna sairaustilojen hoidossa2016 · Erikoislääkäri · Finnish-language article