Since the beginning of the fellowship, multiple different metallaphotoredox reactions with different metals were trialled for their compatibility with physiological conditions and the presence of proteins.
When it was found that reaching conditions where the multiple reaction cycles were able to function synergistically was problematic efforts were made to find photocatalytic conditions that would operate in aqueous media. These investigations resulted in the discovery of an iridium catalyst able to chemoselectively mono-oxidise secondary amines with blue light in neutral buffer, physiological temperatures and using atmospheric oxygen as the oxidising agent. These results on ‘A visible-light promoted amine oxidation catalyzed by a Cp*Ir complex’ were published in ChemCatChem 2020, 12, 4512.
Following this, an attempt was made to use biologically compatible red light with a tethered photosensitizer to decage drugs in the proximity of cancerous tissue. However, the tethered photocatalyst designed was unable to sensitize singlet oxygen under the irradiation of red light and the project was discontinued.
Finally the use of a biologically compatible photocatalyst to decage essential molecules is an ongoing project in the group.