Newly developed strategies for multifunctional mitochondria-targeted agents in cancer therapy.

The development of multifunctional agents that could be used for simultaneous tumor targeting, imaging and treatment is a major goal in cancer research and is expected to contribute significantly to the realization of personalized oncology. Mitochondria are involved in diverse physiological activities and confer vital roles in cancer development and progression. Increasing efforts are being made to develop cancer treatment strategies based on various mitochondrial targets and novel mitochondrial drug delivery systems. Multifunctional nanostructures or multifunctional chemical compounds further broaden the current concept of tumor targeting and provide alternative solutions for mitochondrially targeted cancer therapy.