Short description:

This MILS-24 volume provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the development of new metal-based drugs as anti-cancer, anti-microbial and anti-viral agents which have been designed specifically to overcome toxic side effects and/or resistance issues associated with current drug treatments.

Long description:

Volume 24, entitled Targeted Metallo-Drugs: Design, Development, and Modes of Action, of the series Metal Ions in Life Sciences (MILS), fosters inter-disciplinary research in the vibrant field of Biological Inorganic Chemistry. Inspired by the clinical success of cisplatin as a leading anticancer drug but mindful of the shortcomings associated with its use including dose-limiting toxic side effects and acquired or intrinsic drug resistance, scientists across the globe have been endeavoring to identify new metallo-drugs for therapeutic exploitation. This has led to innovative metallo-drug candidates that (i) enhance cancer cell selectivity, thus reducing toxic side effects, and/or (ii) possess new modes of action to improve efficacy and also target resistance pathways. This and more are captured in MILS- 24 which consists of 12 comprehensive, well-illustrated, and up to date chapters with over 1600 citations, 100 figures, and 10 tables with key contributions from 32 international experts from Europe, Asia, and North and South America. MILS- 24 not only keeps the scientific community abreast of latest developments, it also serves as an invaluable resource to stimulate further research on targeted metallo-drug design and development.

• It covers anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, and other agents, such as those targeting tropical diseases and cyanide poisoning and radiometals in molecular imaging and therapy


• It highlights recent metallo-drug developments targeting COVID-19


• It features advanced spectroscopic methods and metallomics as important tools to elucidate the modes of actions of metallo-drugs

Table of Contents:

 Chapter 1 Metal-Based Prodrugs Activated by Cancer-Specific Stimuli by Martijn Dijkstra, Hemma Schueffl, Isabella Poetsch, Petra Heffeter, and Christian R. Kowol. Chapter 2 Light-Activated Drugs for Photodynamic and Photoactivated Therapy by Dmytro Havrylyuk, Austin Hachey, and Edith Glazer. Chapter 3 Mitochondria as a Metallo-Drug Target for Therapeutic Purposes  by Andrea Erxleben. Chapter 4 Transition Metal-Based Antiviral Agents against SARS-CoV-2 and Other Pathogenic Viruses by Maria Gil-Moles and Ingo Ott. Chapter 5 Exploiting the Chemical Diversity of Metal Compounds as a Source of Novel Anti-COVID-19 Drugs by Damiano Cirri, Tiziano Marzo, Carlo Marotta, Alessandro Pratesi, and Luigi Messori . Chapter 6 Evaluating the Potential of Novel Metal-Based Drugs for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria by Andris Evans and Kevin Kavanagh. Chapter 7 Prospective Metallo-Drugs Including Bioactive Compounds: Selection of Co-Ligands to Tune Biological Activity against Neglected Tropical Diseases by Dinorah Gambino and Lucía Otero. Chapter 8 Challenges in Targeting Cyanide Poisoning: Advantages in Exploiting Metal Complexes in Its Treatment by Sigridur G. Suman. Chapter 9 Advanced Microscopy Methods for Elucidating the Localization of Metal Complexes in Cancer Cells by Johannes Karges and Nils Metzler-Nolte. Chapter 10 Metalloproteomics: A Powerful Technique for Metals in Medicine by Tiffany Ka-Yan Ip, Ying Zhou, Hongyan Li, and Hongzhe Sun. Chapter 11 Metal-Based Nanoclusters for Biomedical Applications by Edit Csapó. Chapter 12 Radiometals in Molecular Imaging and Therapy by Izabela Cieszykowska, Wioletta Wojdowska, Dariusz Pawlak, and Renata Mikołajczak.