Novel Strategy of Photodynamic Therapy Targeting RAS mRNA with G-Quadruplex Ligands for Cancer Treatment

The constitutive activation of RAS proteins is closely linked with the aggressiveness of cancer cells. Although RAS proteins are effective targets for cancer therapy, the development of drugs targeting RAS proteins has been unsuccessful so far due to the absence of a suitable active site for small molecule drugs. RAS mRNA that forms a G-quadruplex (G4) in the 5′-untranslated region (UTR) has been deemed as a druggable target. In this study, we demonstrated the advantages of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of cancer using G4 ligands targeting RAS mRNA, including our previously reported ligand anionic phthalocyanine ZnAPC.