Development of drug delivery carrier based on near-infrared dye for effective cancer therapy

Abstract

Theranostics, a combination of therapy and diagnosis, is a precision medical technology developed through the fusion of molecular imaging and medical technology, it is recognized as one of the promising future medical technologies because one nanoparticle can simultaneously acquire the imaging of the diseased part, the real-time tracking of a drug, and the excellent target treatment effect at the same time. Since the concept of theranostics has been established, a theranostic nanoplatforms consisting of various types of organic and inorganic molecules have been developed. Among them, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dyes composed of organic molecules are emerging as one of the ideal materials for theranostic nanoplatform development due to their low toxicity and unique optical properties. The use of NIR light that does not interfere with autofluorescence from living tissue and has excellent tissue permeability, not only enables accurate imaging of the disease site but also enables photodynamic and photothermal therapies using energy transfer that occur in the absorption and emission of light from NIR dyes. Furthermore, research has been recently conducted to develop a method of maximizing the effect of the optical treatment by simplifying the complexity of the theranostic nanoplatform by direct chemical modification of the NIR dye. In accordance with these research trends, this thesis aims to form the NIR dye-based drug delivery through the chemical modification of the heptamethine cyanine dye, one of the NIR dyes, and to discuss the structural properties and therapeutic effect of this delivery system. According to these research trends, this thesis aims to form a NIR dye-based drug delivery system through the chemical modification of heptamethine cyanine dye, one of the NIR dyes, and discuss its structural characteristics and therapeutic effect.