Biocompatible devices for bio-orthogonal organometallic catalysis

One of the major issues of anti-cancer drugs is their toxicity and side effects duc to their low tissue-specificity. lnnovative methods to localize drug aclivity at the tumour site are needed to improve chemotherapy treatments. In recent years, transition metals not found in living beings (e.g., Au. Pd, Rh) have been employed as bioorthogonal catalysts able to spatially control the uncaging of anti-cancer prodrugs in tumour sites. The localization of catalytic activity has been achieved creating devices containing the calalyst which are implanted directly in the tumour. These devices are normally nonbiodegradable so they remain at the affected tissue alter the treatment. In this work, we present the development of novel high-performance biocompatible and biodegradable crystal-based, devices which entrap bioorthogonal organomctallic catalysts. These composite materials have proven to be highly effective catalysing the uncaging of profluorophores and prodrugs in a selective manner. We employed biomacromolecules based crystals as matrices, so only small molecules (such as prodrugs and pro-dyes) can reach thc catalyst avoiding any interaction with surrounding proteins. Additionally, their biological composition allows these devices eventually to be biodegraded thus disappearing from the tissue alter the treatment, which represents an important advance in the field.