Professor Mathias Senge
Chair of Organic Chemistry
- Research Institute:
Medicinal Chemistry, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute (TTMI)
- Contact e-mail:
- Research Area(s):
Porphyrins, medicinal chemistry, photosensitizer, photodynamic cancer therapy, antimicrobials, photomedicine, bioisosteres, hydrogels, organic chemistry, drug design.
Research Description:
The Medicinal Chemistry Group under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Mathias O. Senge is interested in all aspects of photomedicine; particularly in photodynamic therapy (PDT). Traditional therapies typically used to treat cancer and microbial infections are often insufficient to the demands of modern medicine. Current anti-cancer therapies have significant side effects and infections with total resistance to hospital antibiotics exist, with few new antibiotic strategies in drug development pipelines to combat this danger. Novel therapies can supplement, enhance, or replace conventional modes of treatment for disease. PDT, is an alternative approach to therapy which can alleviate some of the above concerns. PDT involves three key components: a photosensitizing molecule, a light source, and the oxygen present in the tissue - these combine to form highly toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) inside the biological mass. This approach is now used for treatment of malignancies and bacterial and viral infections. Main research areas currently studied in group include: 1) development of novel photosensitizers, 2) nanoformulations of photosensitizers for cancer treatment, 3) using ‘molecular shape’ as a drug design principle for cell internalization, 4) endoperoxides as slow-release singlet oxygen generators and oxygen transport molecules, 5) immunostimulation via PDT; 6) treatment of glioblastoma with sonodynamic therapy.
The group is part of the Chair of Organic Chemistry group in the School of Chemistry, where researchers focus on synthetic organic chemistry, methods development, functional organic molecules, porphyrin chemistry, on-surface nanochemistry, photonics materials, and the use of small rigid scaffolds such as cubane and bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane as (bio)isosteres in materials chemistry and drug development.
