Controlling intersystem crossing and emission in donor-acceptor type organic chromophores toward image-guided photodynamic therapy (R-10880)

Donor-acceptor type organic chromophores have become a dominating material class in the field of organic electronics because of their adjustable absorption, emission and charge transport characteristics. The same materials, when properly designed and functionalized, are also very attractive for advanced healthcare applications such as photodynamic therapy (PDT). Herein, light of a specific wavelength is absorbed by a photosensitizer to achieve an excited singlet state, whereupon intersystem crossing to a long-living triplet state enables to produce cytotoxic oxygen species (notably singlet oxygen). However, for PDT applicability, nearinfrared absorption is desired to increase tissue penetration depths. Furthermore, singlet oxygen should preferentially be generated without the incorporation of heavy atoms, as these often afford dark cytotoxicity. Both problems can be addressed by dedicated molecular design, but these approaches are rarely successfully combined in one simple photosensitizer. Moreover, a true thera(g)nostics approach toward image-guided PDT requires to balance the rate of intersystem crossing and emission to achieve high fluorescence and singlet oxygen quantum yields. In this project, this challenge will be addressed by the rational design and synthesis of unique donor-acceptor type fluorophores, strongly leaning on dedicated quantum-chemical calculations, and photophysical analysis, in this way driving the further development of personalized cancer therapy.

Keywords:material characterization

Disciplines:Optical properties of materials, Synthesis of materials, Quantum chemistry, Theoretical and computational chemistry not elsewhere classified

Project type:Collaboration project