Development of a Tumor‐Specific Photoactivatable Doxorubicin Prodrug

This is a retrospective highlight on the publication by Ibsen and coworkers: Localized In Vivo Activation of a Photoactivatable Doxorubicin Prodrug in Deep Tumor Tissue, which appeared in a preceding issue of Photochem. Photobiol. (2013, 89:698–708). The authors describe the synthesis and properties of a novel doxorubicin (DOX) prodrug, DOX‐PCB, which contains a photocleavable linker group. Systemic administration of the prodrug to a tumor‐bearing animal followed by LED/fiber optic 365 nm light delivery allowed active DOX to be released site specifically in the tumor area. This elegant and timely study provides compelling evidence that photocleavable DOX‐PCB can eliminate many of the toxic side effects of DOX that have plagued clinical use of this highly effective antitumor drug for many years.