Researchers developed light-activated cyanine-carborane salts that effectively target and destroy aggressive breast cancer cells with fewer side effects, offering a promising new treatment path.
A husband-and-wife research team from Michigan State University is partnering with scientists at the University of California, Riverside to develop a new light-activated “smart bomb” for treating aggressive breast cancer.
Sophia Lunt, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in MSU’s College of Natural Science, and Richard Lunt, the Johansen-Crosby Endowed Professor of Chemical Engineering in MSU’s College of Engineering, are working with Vincent Lavallo, a chemistry professor at UC Riverside. Together, they are developing novel light-sensitive compounds called cyanine-carborane salts. These compounds are used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and have shown promise in destroying metastatic breast cancer tumors in mice with minimal side effects.
A Promising Innovation in Photodynamic Therapy
“Our innovative cyanine-carborane salts offer a targeted option with reduced side effects for patients with aggressive breast cancer,” said Sophia Lunt. “We expect this research will lead to safer and more effective therapies for patients with limited treatment options.”
During PDT, light-sensitive chemicals are circulated throughout the body where they collect inside cancer cells. Near-infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, can penetrate deeper into the body and activate these salts which act like a “smart” bomb, killing cancer cells while sparing healthy cells.
“Current FDA-approved PDT chemicals remain in other parts of the body, such as the skin, for extended periods of time,” said Hyllana Medeiros, a postdoctoral researcher at MSU who helped perform the mouse studies. “After traditional PDT treatment, the patient has to stay in the dark for two-three months because even low levels of light will cause their skin to become blistered and burned.”
These new cyanine-carborane salts offer an advantage over the chemicals traditionally used in PDT because they are absorbed by cancer cells and provide more effective treatment.
Future Potential for Broader Applications
“Our work offers an effective treatment for aggressive breast cancers,” said Amir Roshanzadeh, a graduate student at MSU and first author on the paper. “It also opens the door to breakthroughs for treating additional cancers and targeted drug delivery.”
Next, the researchers want to test the effectiveness of these salts in treating other types of cancers.
“Truly novel discoveries that enable solutions to problems as complex as cancer require multidisciplinary teams like ours,” said Richard Lunt. “This research is a perfect demonstration of what can be achieved when you combine several different researchers with vastly different backgrounds spanning cancer biology, chemistry, and materials science engineering; good things happen.”
Reference: “Next-Generation Photosensitizers: Cyanine-Carborane Salts for Superior Photodynamic Therapy of Metastatic Cancer” by Amir Roshanzadeh, Hyllana C. D. Medeiros, Christopher K. Herrera, Carson Malhado, Anton W. Tomich, Steven P. Fisher, Sergio O. Lovera, Matthew Bates, Vincent Lavallo, Richard R. Lunt and Sophia Y. Lunt, 22 January 2025, Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202419759
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