Imaging and treating cancer with an iridum-based prodrug

In our Chemical Science Pick of the Week, a novel cancer-targeting iridium complex was demonstrated to act as an effective radiosensitiser for image-guided cancer radiochemotherapy.

This allowed visualisation of tumor sites in mice for precise irradiation with X-rays. Alongside imaging, the complex displayed chemotherapeutic and radiosensitisation potency by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction.  Combined, the DNA damage caused by x-rays and iridium complex-induced mitochondrial dysfunction were found to promote cancer cell death.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, the sensitivity enhancement ratio of the prodrug was the highest among those reported for radiotherapy metal complex drugs.

This article is free to read in our open access, flagship journal Chemical Science: Zhao et al., Chem. Sci., 2020, Advance Article. DOI: 10.1039/D0SC00862A. You can access our 2019 ChemSci Picks in this article collection.