Cancer Treatment with Gold: New Hope for Patients' Dark Days

According to SaedNews, in experiments conducted by researchers at RMIT University in Australia on mice, the gold compound reduced cervical cancer tumor growth by 82%. In comparison, the older drug Cisplatin only reduced tumor growth by 29%. Additionally, this new drug was 3.5 times more effective on prostate cancer and 7.5 times more effective on fibrosarcoma cells in the lab.

The unique properties of gold make it ideal for medical applications. Unlike many other materials, gold is highly stable and non-reactive, which is why it is used in jewelry and coins. However, the compound used in this study is a specially engineered version called Gold(I), which is reactive and designed for biological applications.

The reactive gold in the new drug is designed to interact with thioredoxin reductase, an enzyme abundant in cancer cells. By inhibiting the function of this enzyme, the new drug effectively prevents the proliferation of cancer cells and the development of drug resistance. The project leader at RMIT University says this is a promising step towards producing alternatives to platinum-based cancer drugs.

Researchers caution that human trials are still some way off, but the results in animals have been promising. One of the advantages of the new drug is the reduction of side effects associated with platinum-based drugs like Cisplatin, which typically damage both cancerous and healthy cells.

RMIT University researchers are collaborating with scientists from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) to develop this drug, and the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund has provided $2 million in funding for this research. Additionally, ABC Bullion, a gold-selling company, has pledged to donate 250 grams of pure gold annually, valued at over AUD 30,000, to support this research.