A review article by Dr. Martin Sojka from the Institute of Materials Physics and Prof. Patrick Gamez from the University of Barcelona has been published in Coordination Chemistry Reviews (IF = 23.5, D1). The study focuses on one of the groups of so-called metallodrugs (see cisplatin) that are either directly used in cancer treatment (7 compounds worldwide) or are being investigated for their potential (thousands of compounds). The study elaborates the toxicity data (IC50) of 1,449 ruthenium compounds resembling a piano-stool shape. These compounds have been tested on 151 human cell lines (both cancer and healthy lines), resulting in a summary of all the data published over the past three decades. With over 4,400 IC50 values, this is one of the most comprehensive reviews of the toxicity of metallodrugs of its kind.
The extensive dataset shows how subtle changes in the structure of these compounds (e.g., in the nature of the chemical bonds or the geometry around the Ru metal centre given by the composition) can fundamentally alter their biological activity. Linking the molecular structure of metallodrugs to observed trends in their biological activity allows a deeper understanding of the underlying relationships or mechanisms that drive the efficacy of these therapeutics. To support further development in the field, the authors have created an interactive tool that allows users to freely categorize compounds according to their potency, composition, or cell line/organ system, offering a solid starting point for targeted development of new Ru metallodrugs.
„Our goal was to turn more than three decades of scattered data into a tool that would help the entire community answer a fundamental question: What is most important when designing ruthenium-based anticancer agents?“ says Dr. Sojka.
It is clear that understanding how materials behave at the molecular level under biological conditions is crucial in developing new therapeutics. However, the findings on the design of metallodrugs have wider implications – at IPM, they will become a backbone in linking molecular design and nanomaterial engineering for the development of systems for advanced bioapplications in medicine.
The publication was developed within the SenDISo project.
