Dissociative Bioorthogonal Chemistry: Activating drugs and probes on demand
Triple-orthogonal protein labeling using chemistry developed in our group.
Reactions between non-biological reagents that occur readily in biological systems without being disturbed by it are called bioorthogonal. Numerous bioorthogonal reactions have been developed with a focus on reactions that link two molecules together. Although less well established, bioorthogonal reactions that dissociate and release a molecule could find widespread applications in molecular tools for biological research, the development of diagnostics, and the design of innovative therapeutics.
A key focus of the Franzini group is the development of such reactions that can release molecules inside cells or living organisms. Reactions thus discovered will then be applied to the development of tools to study cellular processes and new targeted therapeutics for cancer therapy.