Daily Mail

Meteor mineral targets cancer

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A COMPOUND based on metal from a meteor that landed in the Gulf of mexico 66 million years ago could be used to beat cancer.

University of Warwick researcher­s have found that blasting iridium with a laser converts oxygen into a form that is deadly to cancer cells but harmless to healthy ones.

Using a special chemical coating, the team was able to ‘hook’ iridium to the blood protein albumin, which then glowed very brightly so they could track its passage into tumour cells using a microscope.

The dormant compound was then switched on by a laser and destroyed the deadly cells from their centre.

The scientists say they hope it might one day revolution­ise cancer treatment.

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