Fluorescence Guided Activatable Cancer Theranostics: Its Development and Prospect

Abstract

Since the prehistorical period, cancer has been a pervasive affliction in the human body, representing one of the most formidable challenges to human health and well-being. Its insidious presence in the human body commands the highest mortality rate among those who succumb to its grasp. Epigenetic factors often play a critical role as the primary caretakers orchestrating the transformation from an innocuous, rudimentary stage to the formidable and often fatal metastasis phase. In the battle against this lethal illness, the concept of theranostics was embraced in the early twenty-first century, combining both treatment and diagnostic techniques. This prompt data on treatment methods could pave the way for the advancement of tailored medicine, potentially curbing medication misuse as well. The use of fluorescence as a partially invasive method has been adapted for diagnostic purposes in the field of intelligent medicine. Within this approach, the overexpression of unique elements (ROS, thiols, enzymes, proteins, etc.) within cancer cells facilitates the cleavage of the theranostic agent, resulting in the immediate release of drugs exclusively in cancer cells. This approach rapidly offers temporal data on the activation of therapies and their effects at the subcellular level in animal models, as demonstrated through in situ biopsies.