Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russian Federation

2017-2019  Project Number: 4.7154.2017/8.9 Investigation of new materials and devices for organic electronics

This project is aimed on the molecular design, synthesis and investigation of physico-chemical properties of novel materials and devices for organic optoelectronics based on conjugated chalcogen-  and nitrogen-contained molecular systems.

Russian Science Foundation 

2019-2021 Project Number: 19-13-00327 «Linear spirocyclic conjugated molecules: a novel approach to the design of organic optoelectronic materials»

To develop cheap and energy-efficient organic electronic devices, it is necessary to create new materials with improved optical, electronic properties, increased stability, low cost and less negative impact on the environment during their synthesis. Now a days OLEDs are introduced on the market of displays for smartphones, smart wearables, light-emitting devices and flexible electronics. However, for the wide use of these technologies a number of issues associated with both the limited sources of iridium and the low electroluminescence efficiency should be solved. One of the significant limitation factors of using purely organic light-emitting materials in organic electronics devices is spin statistics, i.e. only 25% of electrically generated excitons can transformed into light, while the remaining 75% are “dark” triplet states which decays non-radiatively. Using of phosphorescent iridium-based emitters could increase the efficiency of OLEDs but iridium is very rare and expensive noble metal. In the 2012 it was shown for the first time that pure organic materials with specific optical properties co-called thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) could significantly enhance the OLED efficiency. To reach TADF properties organic molecules must be are specifically designed where donor and acceptor part of the molecule are orthogonal to each other. Low conjugation efficiency leads to possibility of reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) and triplet states decay via singlet state. This project is aimed on the developing of novel promising approaches that based on the use of a spiro-linkage between the donor and acceptor moieties. In the proposed project, various spiro-conjugated systems based on spirobiindenes, spirobiothiophenes and spirobifurans will be extensively investigated.

Russian Science Foundation (Collaborative project) 

2019-2022 Project Number: 19-74-20069 Development of new boron carriers for boron-neutron capture therapy of cancer using combinatorial chemistry approach

Boron-neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for a long time remains a promising technology for cancer treatment that is very rarely used in clinical practice. One of the main problems hindering the use of BNCT is a very narrow range of compounds capable of selectively delivering boron isotopes to tumor cells, especially to brain tumors: in fact, the only agents used are boronophenylalanine and borocaptate. We propose to investigate boronated nucleotide precursors as agents capable of selectively concentrating 10B directly in the DNA of actively dividing cells, which include all cancer cells. To screen for compounds that are easily assimilated by cells and incorporated in their DNA, we will construct a library of boronated nucleotide precursors using combinatorial chemistry methods, and employ high-sensitivity atomic emission spectroscopy (part of the Infrastructure Facility at BINP RAS) to analyze preparations of cellular DNA. Boronated nucleotides in DNA will be unambiguously identified by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. The cellular toxicity of boronated nucleotides, molecular mechanisms of their incorporation into DNA and removal by DNA repair systems will be addressed. Using the source of epithermal neutrons (Unique Scientific Unit “Proton Accelerator Tandem-BNCT” as part of the Infrastructure Facility at BINP RAS), the selective radiosensitivity of cells with boron-laden genomic DNA will be assessed in cultured cells and spheroids. The main deliverable of the project will be a new class of carriers of 10B for BNCT, possessing much greater selectivity and efficiency in cancer cells than the agents currently in use.