CEN-209

**CEN-209** (also known as SN30000) is a hypoxia-activated prodrug designed to selectively target and damage DNA in oxygen-starved (hypoxic) regions of solid tumors, which are resistant to standard radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Developed as an improved analog of tirapazamine with enhanced tumor penetration, it is bioreductively activated under low-oxygen conditions to generate cytotoxic metabolites, complementing radiation and chemotherapy by killing cells furthest from blood vessels. Discovered at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre by researchers including Professors William Wilson and Michael Hay, it was exclusively licensed to Centella Therapeutics (a Varian Medical Systems subsidiary) in 2011, with Cancer Research UK later partnering for preclinical development and Phase I trials via their Clinical Development Partnerships.[1][3][5]