Photo-Activated Ruthenium Complexes as Selective, Modular Metallo-Chemotherapeutics

This proposal seeks to develop a new class of metallo-chemotherapeutic agents that will provide several key advantages over current cancer therapies. Cisplatin and its analogues remain the standard therapy for a variety of cancers, despite their nonspecific mechanism of action with nucleic acids, resulting in general cytotoxicity and debilitating side-effects. A promising option is to combine the reactivity of metal-based drugs with the selectivity of photodynamic therapy (PDT) to increase the targeting of malignant over healthy tissues. In the proposed project, we wish to develop a new class of ruthenium-based compounds with a readily modifiable modular design that will allow us to rapidly incorporate key molecular components to confer selectivity and controlled reactivity. These compounds are designed to provide localized toxicity when activated with light; in contrast to current PDT compounds, there is no requirement for O2 for toxicity, allowing them to function under both oxic and' hypoxic conditions.