Editorial Cite This: Mol. Pharmaceutics 2018, 15, 2891−2891
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“Click” Chemistry for Medicine and Biology “Click” chemistry was originally defined by Professors Barry K. Sharpless and M.G. Finn as reactions “that must be modular, wide in scope, give very high yields, generate only inoffensive byproducts that can be removed by nonchromatographic methods, and be stereospecific.”1 Little did these authors know that when their paper was published in 2001, the principles of “click” chemistry would be widely disseminated and utilized throughout diverse fields of science. This class of reactions has been instrumental in developing new therapeutics, improving the efficiency of bioconjugation, creating combinatorial libraries, and interrogating biological processes. As “click” chemistry approaches 20 years of use, we seek to highlight its broad uses in the pharmaceutical sciences in honor of M.G. Finn’s 60th birthday. Professor Finn was instrumental in the conception of “click” chemistry and its direct corollary to the way that nature forms chemical bonds, under aqueous conditions, at room temperature, and with no harsh reagents. Taking that approach, Professor Finn has cemented his legacy by providing a tool kit for the copper-catalyzed azide−alkyne cycloaddition under aqueous conditions, a technique used the world over. Perhaps more importantly, Professor Finn has created a legacy of people. He is known by anyone who has worked in his lab or studied under his guidance, as a self-less mentor, confidant, and even friend. His sincere desire to help people better themselves and push themselves beyond their own expectations, be it professionally or personally, has resulted in just thatthey have become better. Former students, postdoctoral fellows, and lab staff are spread throughout the world performing wonderful science and dedicated mentoring in his image. Given Professor Finn’s scientific and personal accomplishments, we are honored to assemble this themed collection on “click” chemistry for biology and medicine. This collection demonstrates the broad applicability of “click” chemistry to the pharmaceutical sciences. The issue begins with three review articles describing bioinspired approaches to nanoparticle shielding (Steinmetz et al.), clicking gene therapeutics to improve upon their function (Morris et al.), and the use of polymeric materials as interventions for microbial infections (Pokorski et al.). This grouping of articles critically highlights some of the key utility of “click” chemistry, conjugating large molecules under mild aqueous conditions, an imminently challenging problem when coupling macromolecules. Following this, the collection is grouped into bioconjugation and its impact on pharmaceutical sciences. Cigler et al. developed a robust system for cancer targeting, interrogating the size and shape of nanoparticle assemblies in the process. Steinmetz et al. and Wang et al. both used tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) as a nanoparticle platform to overcome platinum resistant cancer and to specifically detect cancer cells, respectively. Gassensmith et al. further utilized TMV as a metal-free MRI sensor for super oxide detection, which could be extraordinarily useful in detection of inflammation. The Gassensmith group further contributed an article describing a pH switchable virus-like nanoparticle that © 2018 American Chemical Society
could be toggled between cancer vs immune cell uptake. Next, Udit et al, built upon their previous work utilizing the virus-like particle, Qβ, as heparin antagonists to provide a safer version for the oft-used heparin antidote protamine. Lastly in this grouping of articles, Cornelissen et al. decorated protein nanoparticles with knottin peptides, thus protecting the particles from degradation, a critical step forward for in vivo protein nanoparticle technology. The final grouping of articles uses “click” chemistry as a means to modify materials for use in drug delivery. Pokorski et al. developed a fluorinated polymeric assembly that was functionalized with a pH responsive cancer chemotherapeutic to minimize off-target toxicity. Rodionov et al. then describe an amphiphilic and fluorinated star polymer where they detail the release profile of model drugs; these particles will most likely find use in theranostic applications. Finally, Diaz et al. presents the use of modular “click” hydrogelators to tune viscoelastic properties and control drug release while maintaining negligible toxicity. It is our great pleasure to present these articles on the occasion of Professor Finn’s 60th birthday. We greatly enjoyed reading them and hope that the reader will too.
Jonathan K. Pokorski*,† Laurie E. Smith∥ †
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Department of NanoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0448, La Jolla, California 92093-0448, United States ∥ ACS Publications, American Chemical Society, 1155 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036, United States
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected]. ORCID
Jonathan K. Pokorski: 0000-0001-5869-6942 Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
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REFERENCES
(1) Kolb, H. C.; Finn, M. G.; Sharpless, K. B. Click Chemistry: Diverse Chemical Function from a Few Good Reactions. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2001, 40 (11), 2004−2021.
Special Issue: Click Chemistry for Medicine and Biology Published: August 6, 2018 2891
DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00743 Mol. Pharmaceutics 2018, 15, 2891−2891
