Self-Assembly of Small Organic Molecules into Luminophores for Cancer Theranostic Applications

Abstract

Self-assembled biomaterials have been widely explored for real-time fluorescence imaging, imaging-guided surgery, and targeted therapy for tumors, etc. In particular, small molecule-based self-assembly has been established as a reliable strategy for cancer theranostics due to the merits of small-sized molecules, multiple functions, and ease of synthesis and modification. In this review, we first briefly introduce the supramolecular chemistry of small organic molecules in cancer theranostics. Then, we summarize and discuss advanced small molecule-based self-assembly for cancer theranostics based on three types, including peptides, amphiphilic molecules, and aggregation-induced emission luminogens. Finally, we conclude with a perspective on future developments of small molecule-based self-assembled biomaterials integrating diagnosis and therapy for biomedical applications. These applications highlight the opportunities arising from the rational design of small organic molecules with self-assembly properties for precision medicine.

Recent Advances in Organometallic NIR Iridium(III) Complexes for Detection and Therapy

“…Thus, more efforts need to be undertaken for designing targetable NIR iridium(III) complexes with simpler structures and lower molecular weight. Furthermore, the self-assembly approach is an emerging strategy to construct multifunctional molecules in situ [ 110 ]. This could be adapted for developing novel tumor-targeting NIR iridium(III) complexes with desirable photophysical and physicochemical properties for precise detection and therapy.…”

Luminescent iridium(iii)–peptide bioconjugates for bioanalytical and biomedical applications

“…16,17 Considerable efforts have been made towards the development of peptide molecules with precisely tailored biological and structural properties over the past decades. [18][19][20][21] Meanwhile, peptides have also received intensive attention for analytical and therapeutic applications in the past two decades. [22][23][24][25] Peptides occupy an intermediate chemical space between small organic molecules and large biologics for drug design and discovery.…”

Advancements in Biosensors Based on the Assembles of Small Organic Molecules and Peptides

“…Meanwhile, by incorporating molecular recognition motifs into the building blocks, the designed self-assemblies can be used to immobilize or identify specific targets for sensing applications [ 33 ]. Consequently, various self-assemblies derived from natural biomolecules and synthetic molecules have been exploited for bioassays, cell imaging, drug delivery, and disease treatment [ 34 , 35 , 36 ].…”