Xiaodi (Di) Wang
Northwestern
Photoactivatable groups are important means to release substrates in a controlled manner using light. Using external stimuli such as light in biological systems provides not only spatialtemporal specificity but also tissue penetration in the long-wavelength range. Previous red-photouncaging groups with high efficiency in aqueous systems require the presence of oxygen and generate radicals during the photodeprotection process, which could be a disadvantage in hypoxic environments such as cancer cells or cause cellular damage. Such limitations can be addressed by the system reported here. In this presentation, I will discuss rational design strategies to achieve higher aqueous efficiency for photocleavage via non-radical pathways as well as their release profiles upon irradiation at 626 nm. We envision this new photouncaging group and its derivatives can be utilized as drug delivery vehicles or bio-imaging probes in biological systems.