Speedier and more effective treatment of serious illnesses

Researchers from IOCB Prague have succeeded in preparing compounds capable of activating prodrugs at predetermined locations in the body, enhancing their effectiveness and expediting their action. This will make it possible, for example, to more precisely target malignant tumours, which might greatly advance the potential of anti-cancer therapies. Compounds referred to as new-generation prodrug activators have been developed in the laboratory of Dr. Milan Vrábel, and two research articles on the matter have been published in the scientific journal Angewandte Chemie.

One objective of modern medicine is to utilize substances known as prodrugs, which are medicinal compounds that can be activated by being metabolically converted into drugs in specific parts of the body, for example near or inside cancerous tumours. It is not an easy process, because prodrugs tend to initiate their function in all sorts of places in the body. This is where compounds known as activators come into play. With their application, a specific chemical reaction is used to "unpack" the prodrug in the right location. However, the current generation of activators is slow and ineffective. Molecules of an active substance are usually released only after several hours, and the body can typically utilize only about 60% of the administered dose. Therefore, a research team at IOCB Prague, in collaboration with colleagues from the Technical University of Vienna, is working towards markedly enhancing the properties of prodrug activators.

Read the full press release on the IOCB website.

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