Harmful side effects are associated with the administration of chemotherapy drugs due to off-target drug interactions, Localized treatment of cancerous cells is vitally important for improving the treatment of the disease. The concept of photopharmecutical therapy (PPT) is decades old and affords the promise of spatially controlling drug activity. However, the challenge has been to find compounds that respond to light wavelengths that penetrate tissue deeply. Effective PPT compounds must be activated by light wavelengths within the optical window of tissue (600 – 900 nm). We have developed a light responsive molecular scaffold based on Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> that allows for the inactivation of drugs until they are exposed to light that is capable of penetrating tissue. This causes the release of the drug from molecular scaffold in an active form. We have utilized this scaffold to create a variety of cobalamin-drug conjugates that induce cancer cell death in a light-dependent fashion. PPT has the potential to improve the treatment of cancer by reducing off-target drug interactions, reducing side effects, and allowing for more potent drugs to be administered.

Photopharmaceutical therapy utilizing vitamin B<sub>12 </sub>as a molecular scaffold

256th National Meeting (2018)

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Photopharmaceutical therapy utilizing vitamin B12 as a molecular scaffold

Photopharmaceutical therapy utilizing vitamin B₁₂as a molecular scaffold