Typically, drug delivery systems rely on low pH found in certain cancerous tumors, as a trigger for release. Alternatively, examples of biodegradable conjugated polyimidazole nanoparticles make use of an alternative release trigger, namely reactive oxygen species (ROS) (see Figure ). ROS are produced by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in an immune response to form an oxidative tumor environments. ROS degradable conjugated polymers present an interesting class of materials for theranostic nanoparticles, as they can be modified and functionalized on a molecular level to bind or entrap drug molecules. As such, imidazole shows promise as a potential pro-moiety because it breaks down into small discrete molecular fragments of amide and its homologues when exposed to ROS. To apply the concept of an imidazole pro-moiety into a drug delivery system, one must consider a retrosynthetic approach: the active agent must contain an amide, since imidazole degradation provides this functionality. Furthermore, the prodrug must be connected to the imidazole unit in a way that allows the native drug to be released when the imidazole unit is cleaved.