Light-responsive compounds can be utilized to control spatially and temporally the initiation of biochemical processes. This has the potential to improve the treatment of diseases, such as cancers, by controlling the location of drug activity at the site of disease rather than the drug acting systemically. This would reduce side-effects as well as the overall systemic dose of anticancer agents. Until recently light-responsive molecules that released active compounds in a stoichiometric manner required the use of short wavelength, high energy ultraviolet light (UV). These compounds cannot be used to treat disease because the required light wavelengths are readily absorbed by biological molecules preventing the light from penetrating tissue to an appreciable extent. Recently, we have a developed a platform technology that combines Vitamin B12 and a near infrared (NIR) absorbing fluorophore that converts an inactivated drug into an active form when exposed to NIR. In contrast to UV, NIR is poorly absorbed by biological tissues. Therefore, NIR penetrates tissue and can be used for photochemotherapeutic treatment of disease. In addition to targeting diseased tissue based on controlling drug activity by regulating light exposure, these compounds target cancer cells due to the Vitamin B12 moiety because rapidly dividing cancer cells have an increased demand for Vitamin B12 in comparison to normal, healthy cells. The reported technology could improve treatment of certain by diseases by affording effective treatment while reducing side effects.
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