Porphyrins and phthalocyanines feature strong light absorption, capacity for metal chelation, and a track record of use in human therapeutic applications. Various conjugates and formulations of these macrocycles have shown potential to forge new applications in the biomedical sciences. Our lab has explored several such approaches including porphyrin polymer hydrogels, porphyrin-lipid nanovesicles, and surfactant-stripped micelles. These all feature in common a high density of tetrapyrroles, as well as unique functional properties. Porphyrin polymer hydrogels with high porphyrin density and bright fluorescence emission were demonstrated for use as a new class of implantable biosensors. Porphyrin-lipid nanovesicles hold potential for phototherapy, imaging, and also drug and vaccine delivery. Surfactant-stripped micelles have been developed for high-contrast photoacoustic imaging. In this ICPP Young Investigator Award brief perspective, we discuss our own efforts on these fronts. Taken together, the results show that tetrapyrroles enable new approaches for tackling biomedical problems and also confirm what was already well-known to members of the Society of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines: that these molecules are remarkably versatile and enable research to flow in unexpected directions.

中文翻译：

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在大周期之外思考：纳米结构卟啉和酞菁的潜在生物医学作用——SPP/JPP 青年研究员奖论文

卟啉和酞菁具有强光吸收、金属螯合能力以及在人类治疗应用中的使用记录。这些大环化合物的各种缀合物和配方已显示出在生物医学科学中开辟新应用的潜力。我们的实验室已经探索了几种这样的方法，包括卟啉聚合物水凝胶、卟啉-脂质纳米囊泡和表面活性剂剥离的胶束。这些都具有高密度的四吡咯以及独特的功能特性。证明了具有高卟啉密度和明亮荧光发射的卟啉聚合物水凝胶可用作新型可植入生物传感器。卟啉-脂质纳米囊泡具有用于光疗、成像以及药物和疫苗递送的潜力。表面活性剂剥离胶束已被开发用于高对比度光声成像。在这个 ICPP 青年研究者奖的简要观点中，我们讨论了我们自己在这些方面的努力。总之，结果表明，四吡咯为解决生物医学问题提供了新的方法，也证实了卟啉和酞菁协会成员已经熟知的事实：这些分子非常通用，使研究能够朝着意想不到的方向发展。