"The aim of the project is to increase the market readiness of patented BODIPY fluorescent compounds/dyes protected by patents in the USA, UK, Germany, and France (PCT/HR2017/000005, EP 3 612 538 B1, US 11,103, 519 B2) through research and development activities that will demonstrate their diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy in a real (in vivo) environment, as well as improve their commercialization.
The project addresses the limitations of existing methods for protein labeling for research or diagnostic purposes and the lack of an adequate method for phototherapy of hypoxic tumors. Current clinical methods rely on effects that are dependent on the presence of oxygen. The advantage of this innovation over commercially available dyes lies in its photochemical activation, which enables spatial and temporal control and specificity of labeling, as well as the ability to destroy tumor cells independently of oxygen.
Target groups are companies that sell fluorescent dyes and companies interested in further development of a drug for tumor phototherapy. The end users are researchers and patients, i.e., individuals who use diagnostic and therapeutic approaches."

Project team: 

Marijeta Kralj, PhD

Maja Dragojević

Research team:

Laboratory of Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Nikola Basarić, PhD
Mladena Glavaš, PhD

Laboratory for experimental Therapy

Marijeta Kralj, PhD
Mladen Paradžik, PhD
Lidija Uzelac, PhD
Marija Mioč, PhD

Department for Projects and Knowledge Transfer

Radoslav Ostermann