Photoswitchable compounds modulating cadherin homodimerization

Photopharmacology is based on the concept that, since the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic properties of drugs are directly related to their molecular structure, the photoinduced structural change of photoswitchable drugs allows the activation/deactivation or modulation of their biological functions only in the region where light is provided. 1 Hence, it is expected that photopharmacology will greatly contribute to drug discovery in the years to come. However, while it has been clearly demonstrated that photopharmacology can be used to modulate cellular and sub-cellular events in a spatio-temporally-controlled way2 , the therapeutic and diagnostic potential of this approach is currently still far from being fully exploited, particularly with respect to the modulation of protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Invention relates to photoswitchable azobenzene-based compounds, particularly to azobenzene-based compounds that allows light-triggered modulation of the cell-cell adhesion family of proteins called cadherins and their use in the treatment of cancer and other diseases.