Gold-plated treatment for cancer

Tiny gold tub es could b e used to treat mesothelioma – a t ype of cancer caused by exp osure to asb estos, researchers say.

Once inside the cancer cells, the nanotubes – tiny hollow cylinders one thousandth of the width of a human hair – absorb light, causing them to heat up, thereby killing the cells, a study suggests.

Exp er ts say more than 2,600 people are diagnosed in the UK each year with mesothelioma.

A l t h o u g h t h e u s e o f a s b e s t o s i s o u t l awe d i n the UK, the count r y h a s the world's highest levels of mesothelioma because it imported vast amounts of asbestos in the post-war years.

Dr Arsalan Azad, from C a m b r i d g e U n i v e r s i - t y’s Institute for Medical Research, said: "Mesothelioma is one of the hard-totreat cancers, and the best we can offer people with ex i s t i n g t r e a t me n t s i s a few months of extra survival. There's an important unmet need for new, effective treatments.”