Assessment of [Ru(bpy)2]3+ and [Os(diars)2(bthp)]2+ for the electrochemiluminescence detection of gemcitabine and leucovorin toward diagnostic point-of-care sensors within precision medicine

With advances in medical understanding and pharmaceutical drug development a shift away from the traditional “one size fits all” approaches common place in today’s treatment plans have been witnessed. Instead greater emphasis has been placed upon the development of personalised precision medicine, tailored to the individual and their disease characteristics. Although the fundamental knowledge is currently present for such a development, current health care practices do not possess the required resources to see such treatment plans implemented. As such the progress and implementation of precision medicine has stalled. Monitoring of the ADMET properties of a therapeutic species will ultimately aid in the progression of precision medicine in addition to drug development timelines. Within this contribution the development of an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor to this end is discussed. Utilising cancer therapies gemcitabine hydrochloride (GMB) and leucovorin calcium (LV) as model compounds, the ability to use ECL for their detection down to a relevant therapeutic range (6.25 to 100 µM) via a portable sensing system is shown both within ideal and complex biological matrices. For the first time, GMB and LV are detected via ECL utilising both traditional and non-traditional luminophores, and demonstrated how the employment of alternative luminophores can circumvent competing side reactions preventing detection via the traditional ruthenium luminophores, previously rendering the species as unsuited for ECL monitoring. This approach successfully represents an initial concept proof for the utilisation of ECL sensors for monitoring of therapeutics within complex matrices and lays the initial foundations for wider employment of ECL sensors for medical diagnostics and precision medicine.