Though most ruthenium compounds bearing 2,2'-bipyridine ligands commonly absorb blue light (420 -450 nm), comparatively simple syntheses can yield species with shifted absorbances extending into the red and near-IR . With their radical-free ligand exchange , engineered cytocompatibility, and high photoefficiency, we postulated that uniquely visible light-responsive biomaterials could be created through direct inclusion of such Ru complexes in a polymer backbone, providing a route to next-generation photodynamic hydrogels.