How specks of gold can help fight cancer

TINY flecks of gold could become a key weapon in the fight against cancer, according to scientists.

Researchers at Edinburgh University found that the precious metal increased the effectiveness of drugs used to treat lung cancer.

Although not yet tested on humans, the technique could one day be used to improve chemotherapy treatment.

It relies on gold’s ability to accelerate reactions.

Dr Asier Unciti-Broceta, who took part in the research, said: ‘We have discovered properties of gold that were previously unknown and our findings suggest that the metal could be used to release drugs inside tumours very safely.’

The study was carried out in collaboration with the University of Zaragoza in Spain with funding from Cancer Research UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Dr Aine McCarthy, Cancer Research UK’s senior science information officer, said: ‘By developing new, better ways of delivering cancer drugs, studies like this have the potential to improve cancer treatment and reduce side effects.

‘In particular, it could help improve treatment for brain tumours and other hard-totreat cancers.

‘The next steps will be to see if this method is safe to use in people, what its long- and short-term side effects are, and if it’s a better way to treat some cancers.’