UCSF

Iron is a nutrient essential for cell growth and proliferation, however too high of a concentration can cause the formation of toxic reactive oxygen species. As a result, normal cells tightly regulate iron metabolism. Many cancers have been noted to possess aberrant expression of various proteins in the iron metabolism pathway, with a strong correlation between a higher avidity for iron and worse patient prognosis. Recently the Renslo lab has sought to leverage this elevated level of iron utilizing an Fe(II)-activated prodrug platform based on the reactivity of 1,2,4-trioxolanes (TRX). Previous studies have demonstrated selective delivery of amine-bearing cytotoxins to cancers with elevated Fe(II) pools. Here we report expanding this work in three ways: 1. Design of a therapeutic diagnostic PET probe to identify potential suitable cancers for this TRX-based approach. 2. Delivery of targeted anticancer therapeutics in order to gain an additional level of selectivity. 3. Expanding the TRX scaffold to accommodate hydroxamate-containing chemotherapeutics.