Romero-Canelon Bioinorganic Research Group

The Romero-Canelon Bioinorganic Research Group investigates the role of precious metals in medicine with particular interest in the use of transition metals in cancer chemotherapy.

Group lead

Isolda Romero CanelonDr Isolda Romero Canelon

School of Pharmacy
Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry

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Our research group

Our research on medicinal inorganic chemistry brings together chemistry, cellular biology and cancer sciences. We aim to design, synthesise and characterise novel molecules with precious metal centres that can be developed into anticancer agents. Hence, we investigate their biological activity towards cancer and normal tissues at cellular level. We look into cellular transport, internal localisation, activation of cellular pathways and mechanisms of cell death.

We are particularly interested in metal compounds which have a redox arm in their mechanism of action, and will perturb the cellular balance of ROS while inducing changes in mitochondrial pathways, exploiting intrinsic weaknesses of cancer cells.

Current projects

  • Ruthenium and Osmium complexes for ovarian cancer treatment
  • Improving the solubility of ruthenium and osmium piano-stool complexes with potential anticancer applications
  • Developing ruthenium intercalating complexes for anticancer treatment
  • Evaluating the anticancer activity of dinuclear complexes

Recent and selected publications

Kinetic analysis of the accumulation of a half-sandwich organo-osmium pro-drug in cancer cells. A. Ballesta*, F. Billy, J.P.C. Coverdale, J-I. Song, C. Sanchez-Cano, I. Romero-Canelón* and P.J. Sadler* Metallomics, 2019, 11, 1648-1656.

Designing ruthenium anticancer drugs: what have we learnt from the key drug candidates? J.P.C. Coverdale, T. Laroiya-McCarron and I. Romero-Canelón*, Inorganics, 2019, 7, 31-42.

In vivo selectivity and localization of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induction by osmium anticancer complexes that circumvent platinum-resistance. J.P.C. Coverdale, H.E. Bridgewater, J-I. Song, N.A. Smith, N.P.E. Barry, I. Bagley, P.J. Sadler and I. Romero-Canelón*, J. Med. Chem. 2018, 61, 9246-9255.

Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation by synthetic catalysts in cancer cells. J. P. C. Coverdale, I.  Romero-Canelón, C. Sanchez-Cano, G. J. Clarkson, A. Habtemariam, M. Wills and P. J. Sadler. Nat. Chem. 2017, 10, 347-354.

Systems approach to metal-based pharmacology. I. Romero-Canelón and P.J. Sadler. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2015, 112, 4187-4188.