Light as a switch for drugs

Dr. Yixin Zhang starts first Junior Research Group at B CUBE

October 1st, 2009 is the official starting date for the first Junior Research Group 'Bioresponsive Materials' at B CUBE.

Dr. Yixin Zhang has ambitious plans at B CUBE: standard drugs are often causing negative side effects in patients, because their impact is not only limited to the affected areas, but also covers unintended areas. Drugs that can be switched on and off in a controlled way by light could offer a solution. This new approach will be attempted by Dr. Zhang’s group at B CUBE. By using bioorganic chemistry he will search for molecules that can activate components in drugs in presence of infrared light and deactive them in the absence of light.

Dr. Zhang explains: „Development of new drugs is often very time-consuming and therefore expensive. My team will use DNA-encoded chemical libraries to offer a fast and inexpensive solution. These libraries allow to identify those molecules that are best at binding to active components. The approach ressembles nature by using selection and evolution to identify the best fit for effective binding“. Applications of these molecules in immunosuppressive (drugs that suppress the functions of the immune system) and cancer drugs are of most interest to Dr. Zhang.

Please follow this link to read the offical press release of TU Dresden (in german).

This link will direct you to our research page with more details on Dr. Zhang's group.