Shining a Light on Bioorthogonal Photochemistry for Polymer Science

Area of Science:

• Bioorthogonal chemistry
• Photochemistry
• Nanomedicine
• Polymer science

Background:

• Bioorthogonal chemistry and photochemistry offer powerful tools for probing and manipulating biological systems.
• Clinical translation of current bioorthogonal photochemistry research faces significant challenges.
• Optochemical tools enable non-invasive control over bioorthogonal reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review challenges in clinical translation of bioorthogonal photochemistry.
• To highlight recent advancements overcoming these barriers.
• To showcase the synergy between bioorthogonal photochemistry and polymer science for clinical applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on bioorthogonal photochemistry.
• Focus on systems triggered by near-infrared light in aqueous solutions.
• Analysis of applications in complex biological systems, including in vivo studies.

Main Results:

• Development of novel photochemical systems functioning in aqueous solutions and biological environments.
• Demonstration of systems working in living animals.
• Exploration of diverse photochemical reactions like photopolymerization, uncaging, conjugation, and photoswitching.

Conclusions:

• Bioorthogonal photochemistry integrated with polymer science presents vast opportunities in biomaterials, nanomedicine, and theranostics.
• New approaches are being integrated into polymers, with unexploited opportunities remaining.
• This synergy can inspire material scientists to develop adaptable materials for clinical challenges.