13 Abiotic Chemistry in Living Animals: Therapeutic Applications

Abstract The concept of click chemistry, first reported in 2001, has paved the way for bioorthogonal chemistry, which represents a class of chemical transformations that operate in biological media without interfering with endogenous functional groups. Bioorthogonal reactions including ligation, cleavage, and click-to-release reactions can now be carried out in living organisms, unveiling the potential to modulate drug properties by fostering their selective release or synthesis in targeted tissues as well as their on-demand clearance. Herein, we report innovative approaches that employ bioorthogonal chemistry for therapeutic purposes.