Classical chemotherapeutics, such as cisplatin and its analogues, have been highly successful in the clinic, yet improvements can certainly be made, given the significant side effects associated with the killing of healthy cells. Recent advances in the field of chemotherapy include the development of targeted anticancer agents, compounds that are directed towards a specific biomarker of cancer, with the hopes that such targeted therapies might have reduced side effects given their greater selectivity. Here we discuss several transition metal complexes that are tailored towards various biomolecules associated with cancer. Most notably, the success of rhodium metalloinsertors, which specifically bind to nucleic acid base mismatches in DNA, highlight the enormous potential of this exciting new strategy.
Keywords: DNA mismatch repair; bioinorganic; medicinal chemistry.