Disclosed are compound for targeting chemotherapeutic agents to mammalian mitochondria. Also disclosed are monoamine oxidase-specific compositions, and methods of using them for the selective therapy of mammalian cancers, and in particular, in the treatment of human gliomas. Also disclosed are methods employing the novel targeted chemotherapeutics with one or more conventional anti-cancer therapies, including, for example, radiotherapy, or multi-drug regimens.