Larsen Lab
Inorganic and Supramolecular Photochemistry
Photoresponsive Molecules
Photocages for Targeted Drug Delivery
In photoactivated chemotherapy, drug molecules are ‘caged’ / inactivated by photoactive compounds – most commonly Ru(II) complexes. The drug molecules are then released / ‘uncaged’ at tumour sites with high spatiotemporal control through visible / near infrared light irradiation.
In these projects, we explore and optimise new molecular scaffolds to photocage drug molecules, spectroscopically investigate photorelease mechanisms, and are working towards testing the photobiology of our developed systems in collaboration with researchers at the University of Auckland and internationally.
PhotochromismÂ
Photochromic compounds undergo a reversible transformation between two isomers upon photoirradiation. Such compounds have been widely studied as molecular switches for supramolecular chemistry and information storage.
In these projects, we explore the photochromism and energy-transfer photochromism of naturally occurring photochromic compounds, and how photoswitching between different forms can be utilised in the photochemical synthesis of natural products and their analogues.