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Researchers say rare metals can aid in fighting colon, ovarian cancer
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A team of chemists has discovered that some rare metals can be useful in treating colon and ovarian cancers that are resistant to other medications.
The findings, which were published online on Sept. 30, indicate that ruthenium and osmium kill large numbers of cells associated with those two kinds of cancers.
In addition, the metals kill ovarian cancer cells that are resistant to a common anti-cancer pharmaceutical called Cisplatin. That drug, which was discovered in the 1970s, is often used to treat testicular cancer with a high success rate.
Atoms of the the two metals that were the subject of the study chemically bond to DNA molecules in the cancer cells, which triggers a process called apoptosis, or programmed cell death.
Ruthenium and osmium are chemically similar to precious metals such as gold and platinum.
The discovery is expected to encourage ongoing efforts to find additional pharmaceutical tools that can cure certain kinds of cancer.
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