The activation of 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) by long-wavelength ultraviolet A light (UVA, 320-400 nm) induces the formation of interstrand cross-links in DNA. Psoralen plus UVA (PUVA) is widely used in the treatment of psoriasis, a hyperproliferative disease of the skin. A new psoralen plus UVA therapy has been developed in which the 8-MOP-containing blood of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) patients is irradiated with UVA light extracorporeally (ie, extracorporeal photopheresis). The first group of patients had the leukemic variant of CTCL. A regimen of two treatments on successive days at monthly intervals produced a clinical response in eight of 11 patients. In this review the properties of several psoralens (both naturally occurring and synthetic derivatives) are compared, using several assays (DNA cross-linking, inhibition of lymphocyte response to mitogen stimulation, and cell viability). The development of a panel of monoclonal antibodies that recognize 8-MOP-modified DNA is also described. These antibodies have been used to quantitate 8-MOP photoadduct levels in human DNA samples. In addition to the psoralens, the light activation of two other compounds, gilvocarcin and an insulin-psoralen conjugate, is described.