Rationally Designed Redox-Active Au(I) N-Heterocyclic Carbene: An Immunogenic Cell Death Inducer

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a way of reengaging the tumor-specific immune system. ICD can be induced by treatment with chemotherapeutics. However, only a limited number of drugs and other treatment modalities have been shown to elicit the biomarker responses characteristic of ICD and to provide an anticancer benefit in vivo. Here, we report a rationally designed redox-active Au(I) bis-N-heterocyclic carbene that induces ICD both in vitro and in vivo. This work benefits from a synthetic pathway that allows for the facile preparation of asymmetric redox-active Au(I) bis-N-heterocyclic carbenes.