Singlet Oxygen Generation System for Anti-Cancer Applications/file/DHH_WEINST… · Singlet Oxygen...

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Singlet Oxygen Generation System for Anti-Cancer Applications KTA Development Hot House (DHH) Case Study Project Partners Department of Chemistry University of Sheffield Dr Julia Weinstein, Senior Lecturer in Physical Chemistry & EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow Institute of Cancer Studies University of Sheffield Dr Helen Bryant, RCUK Research Fellow Overview Conventional chemotherapy drugs are highly successful at killing cancerous cells. However, the drugs can accumulate in healthy as well as unhealthy cells, sometimes causing side-effects for patients. An alternative cancer treatment is ‘light-therapy’, or photodynamic therapy, where a drug is dormant until it is activated with light of a specific wavelength. This approach enables more specific targeting and reduced side- effects. Currently, there are only a handful of photodynamic anti-cancer drugs commercially available. Using funding from the KTA’s Development Hot House Equipment fund, Dr Weinstein’s cross-disciplinary team has built a light detection system to investigate the effectiveness of new classes of light-activated anti-cancer compounds, or ‘pro-drugs’.

Transcript of Singlet Oxygen Generation System for Anti-Cancer Applications/file/DHH_WEINST… · Singlet Oxygen...

Page 1: Singlet Oxygen Generation System for Anti-Cancer Applications/file/DHH_WEINST… · Singlet Oxygen Generation System for Anti-Cancer Applications KTA Development Hot House (DHH) Case

Singlet Oxygen Generation System for Anti-Cancer Applications

KTA Development Hot House (DHH) Case Study

Project Partners Department of ChemistryUniversity of Sheffield Dr Julia Weinstein, Senior Lecturer inPhysical Chemistry & EPSRC AdvancedResearch Fellow

Institute of Cancer StudiesUniversity of SheffieldDr Helen Bryant, RCUK Research Fellow

OverviewConventional chemotherapy drugs arehighly successful at killing cancerouscells. However, the drugs can accumulatein healthy as well as unhealthy cells,sometimes causing side-effects forpatients. An alternative cancer treatmentis ‘light-therapy’, or photodynamictherapy, where a drug is dormant until itis activated with light of a specificwavelength. This approach enables morespecific targeting and reduced side-effects. Currently, there are only ahandful of photodynamic anti-cancerdrugs commercially available.

Using funding from the KTA’sDevelopment Hot House Equipment fund,Dr Weinstein’s cross-disciplinary teamhas built a light detection system toinvestigate the effectiveness of newclasses of light-activated anti-cancercompounds, or ‘pro-drugs’.

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ActivitiesThe main technical objective of theproject was to build a detection systemfor the direct detection of singlet oxygen.Singlet oxygen is the common name forthe excited state of molecular oxygenwhich normally exists in a ‘triplet’ state.When molecules of the ‘pro-drug’ absorblight, they become highly energetic andtransfer this energy to molecules ofoxygen nearby, generating ‘singlet oxygen’- highly reactive species that causechemical destruction to cells or tissuesnearby. Only areas which are exposed tolight will be directly affected. This light-induced reaction between the ‘pro-drug’and oxygen is important as the adoptionof the technique could result in thedevelopment of drugs which are onlyactivated by light leading to a moreprecise targeting of only cancerous cells.

How efficient a compound is in producing‘singlet oxygen’ is directly related to itspotential as a pro-drug.

The team are now working on evaluatingand developing several classes of metal-containing molecules as potential pro-drugs in light-induced anti-cancertherapies.

Next stepsThe successful development of thedetection system has created a solidbasis for major cross-disciplinary, cross-faculty applications to the MedicalResearch Council and Yorkshire CancerResearch. It also significantly contributedto the team’s successful application forEPSRC Kickstart funding to embark on ascreening programme of a considerablevariety of anti-cancer agents, as well as a

MRC Confidence in Concept grant todevelop a new approach to light delivery.Similarly, a BBSRC doctoral training grantwas also secured as a result of the KTAequipment project.

Dr Weinstein says: “Thisequipment funding hasprovided an excellentopportunity to progress ourresearch further anddemonstrates how seeminglysmall funding can make a hugeimpact. This type of supportis particularly important atearly stages of cross-disciplinary research, such asdrug development whichbrings together chemists,oncologists and physicists.”

KTA Development Hot House (DHH) Case Study