Theranostics Through the Synergistic Cooperation of Heterometallic Complexes

Heterometallic drugs are emerging as a great alternative to conventional metallodrugs. Careful selection of different metallic fragments makes possible to enhance not only the therapeutic potential by a synergistic effect, but also to incorpore key features like traceability. Drugs that integrate traceability and therapy in one system are known as theranostic agents. In cancer research, theranostic agents are becoming increasingly important. They deliver crucial information regarding their biological interplay that can ultimately be used for optimization. The well-established therapeutic potential of Pt^II-, Ru^II- and Au^I-based drugs combined with the outstanding optical properties of d⁶ transition metal complexes grant the delivery of traceable metallodrugs. These species can be easily fine-tuned through modification of their respective ligands to provide a new generation of drugs.