University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL LOGIC GATE SYSTEM FOR TARGETED CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY

Myszka, Michael

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/133268

Description

Title
DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL LOGIC GATE SYSTEM FOR TARGETED CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY
Author(s)
Myszka, Michael
Issue Date
2026-05-13
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
  • Chan, Jefferson
  • Zhao, Zhenxiang
Department of Study
Department of Chemistry
Discipline
Chemistry
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
B.S. (bachelor's)
Degree Level
Thesis
Date of Ingest
2026-05-13T11:35:33-05:00
Keyword(s)
Prodrug; Nitroreductase; Glutathione; Cancer
Language
eng
Abstract
Traditional chemotherapy drugs are accompanied by side effects such as nausea, fatigue, and immunosuppression due to their impact on both cancerous and healthy cells. Targeted cancer therapy research aims to reduce the severe side effects associated with conventional chemotherapy by selectively targeting tumor cells. Current approaches often rely on a single biomarker for more precise drug delivery; however, this method frequently results in off-target effects. Some new approaches utilize dual-activatable prodrugs designed to improve specificity and reduce off-target harm. Despite these advances, they typically require two distinct functional group attachment points, complicating their development and reducing the number of drugs that can be considered. We present a novel, dual-activatable prodrug with a simplified design and a single functional group attachment point. This prodrug integrates a logic gate system that uses complementary triggers for nitroreductase (NTR) and glutathione (GSH) to target tumor cells expressing these cancer biomarkers. By tailoring the prodrug’s activation through physical chemistry to align with specific cancer biomarker levels, our system aims to enhance drug release selectivity. This strategy minimizes off-target effects and improves therapeutic outcomes by ensuring the chemotherapy drug is predominantly activated within cancerous tissues.
Type of Resource
text
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2026 Michael Myszka

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