Alisher Talgatov / Chemistry & Biochemistry / Faculty Mentor: Sherri McFarland
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a strategy for treating cancer with high selectivity. PDT utilizes an otherwise nontoxic prodrug called a photosensitizer (PS) that, in the presence of light and molecular oxygen, causes localized cell death. Approved PSs are generally organic tetrapyrroles that exert their PDT effects primarily through singlet oxygen and other reactive oxygen species (ROS). We have been developing next-generation metallodrug PSs that exploit different excited state configurations and alternate modes of action for photocytotoxicity. Our own TLD1433, a Ru(II) polypyridyl complex incorporating an oligothienyl-containing ligand, is one example and is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials (NCT03945162) for treating non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with PDT. Herein, we report a novel class of metal-based PSs that are structurally similar to TLD1433 and highlight their light-driven PDT effects.
Alisher Talgatov
If you have any questions about the research we do, feel free to reach out to me by email: axt7572@mavs.uta.edu