The ideal drug is one that is effective against the disease and causes no side effects. A lot of research is being conducted to achieve this, and one of the most recent developments is light-activated drugs.
Photopharmacology is an emerging area of science whose aim is the development of photosensitive drugs, in other words, drugs that activate with light. This technology combines drugs with molecules that act as switches and modify the structure, and therefore the biological activity, with light. This modulation enables the drugs to be activated at precisely the right place and time, and with the desired intensity and duration, thereby focusing their action to avoid side effects due to their unwanted activity on other tissues and organs. Thus, new pathways are opened towards a new generation of more precise, less toxic treatments.
Two innovative projects backed by CaixaResearch are currently working on the development of therapies based on the use of photosensitive drugs to restore vision and reduce cardiac lesions. What do they consist of? What are their advantages?
The project led by Amadeu Llebaria PhD is investigating new cardioprotection strategies to reduce the size of lesions caused by myocardial infarctions; specifically, the project is developing a photopharmacological therapy to perform localised administration of the optimal dose of a new kind of light-regulated cardioprotective drug that can be activated by illuminating specific areas of the heart during the first minutes of angioplasty, the primary treatment that dilates the obstructed blood vessel. This system should avoid prolonged treatments and thus minimise side effects.
The team led by Núria Camarero PhD is conducting a project to develop a photosensitive drug to cure blindness. This type of drug may be useful in the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, one of the most common causes of blindness, in which the photosensitive cells of the retina are lost, but the neurons downstream survive. A light-regulated drug could replace the function of the lost cells and directly stimulate the neurons to enable the light signal to reach the optic nerve. Researchers on the project have already managed to restore the vision of fish in a matter of seconds. Now they want to validate the same technique in other animal models, before initiating human trials.
The researchers who lead these projects will explain how they are progressing and which current challenges are the most significant in the field of photopharmacology.
Speakers:
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Amadeu Llebaria, head of the MCS (Medicinal Chemistry & Synthesis) group, from the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC).
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Núria Camarero Palao, researcher of the Nanoprobes and Nanoswitches group, from the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC).
Moderator:
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Toni Pou, author and popular science writer, coordinator of the science supplement of the newspaper ARA.
Projects supported by ”la Caixa” Foundation:
