Chemistry Thesis Defense: Palladium Chelated Chlorin-based Targeted Probes for the Photodynamic Therapy of Breast Cancer
Chemistry MS Defense
Palladium Chelated Chlorin-based Targeted Probes for the Photodynamic Therapy of Breast Cancer
Yoojung Cho
Master’s Degree Candidate, Chemistry
Rochester Institute of Technology
Abstract:
Breast cancer (BrCa) is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S. A promising new treatment method is photodynamic therapy (PDT), which uses a porphyrin-based photosensitizer (PS) dye to kill cancer cells upon excitation with a light source. It has been observed that the chelation of a metal ion into the porphyrin increases the therapeutic efficacy. We have developed a synthetic route incorporating the palladized analogue of the PS dye meso-Pyropheophorbide a (mPPa) for use as a targeted therapeutic agent for the treatment of breast cancer. A disadvantage of the porphyrin rings is that they are insoluble in water. To address this, we developed a “water-solubilizing” (WS) module that contains several sulfonate groups that impart water solubility. To selectively target BrCa we attached a linear and cyclic decapeptide, 18-4 and c(18-4) which have specificity for receptors on the surface of BrCa cells, including the most lethal triple negative type (TN-BrCa). We explored three pathways and successfully synthesized and purified the penultimate module and targeted probe for PDT. Our hope is to create a non-invasive treatment option which can be used in lumpectomy operations to kill residual cancer cells left in the margins of surgery.
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