Gold to be used for cancer therapy

Gold can now be used to treat cancer. Recent research claims tiny particles of gold can boost the effectiveness of drugs used to treat lung cancer.This study, undertaken by scientists at Edinburgh University, Scotland, has been published in AngewandteChemie, a German scientific journal. The researchers claim they had implanted gold nano particles in the brains of zebra fish and observed it had increased the effectiveness of medicines.

The gold dust aka nano particles help to reduce the effects of chemical reactions on healthy cells. When chemotherapy is used to treat malignant tumors/ cancer cells, it harms and damages healthy cells as well. However, scientists are hopeful gold particles will help reduce the side effects of chemotherapy by targeting only affected cells. There is a long way to go before the metal can be ticked as safe for using on human beings, but scientists are charged by the prospect of reducing side effects of chemotherapy using gold.