Systematic Design of a Targeted Organometallic Antitumour Drug in Pre-clinical Development

Abstract

Organometallic ruthenium compounds that are effective anticancer and antimetastasis agents are currently under intensive investigation (see also the article by Peter Sadler in this issue). This article provides a personal account of the way in which we have exploited the different properties of the organoruthenium (and osmium and rhodium) compounds to rival traditional DNA-binding platinum drugs, culminating in the discovery of a non-classical molecule that is in an advanced stage of pre-clinical evaluation.