Source: Good News Network
This alien metal was brought to Earth on the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs – but now, it could be used to cure cancer, according to new research.
Known as iridium, the metal is the world’s rarest element. Experiments show that it penetrates the nucleus of cancer cells by latching onto the blood protein albumin.
After the metal is injected into the nucleus of cancer cells, the material can then be blasted with a laser beam to produce a poisonous form of oxygen that is deadly for tumor cells and harmless for healthy ones.This treatment, which is known as photodynamic therapy, activates the metal to kill the cancer cells through “oxidization”, where the cells’ own oxygen is converted into a lethal form. More important, healthy tissue is unaffected.
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British scientists say that it could revolutionize treatment for the deadliest forms of the disease. Professor Peter Sadler, from the department of chemistry at Warwick University, said: “It’s amazing this large protein can penetrate into cancer cells and deliver iridium which can kill them selectively on activation with visible light.
“If this technology can be translated into the clinic, it might be effective against resistant cancers and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.”
He said iridium can be applied locally and in smaller doses. His international team used a special organic coating to hook up iridium to albumin, causing it to glow very brightly. Under powerful microscopes, they tracked its passage into lung cancer tumors grown in the lab and found that the…
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