Platinum complexes have been employed as anti-cancer drugs for years despite significant side effects. Second generation metal-complex anti-cancer drugs in contrast are still in their infancy, and suffer from low solubility and high reactivity, leading to deactivation before the drug can reach its target.
To overcome these problems, scientists in Australia have developed a gold-based drug chemically incorporated in a polymeric micelle as a drug delivery agent. The resulting molecules showed potent in vitro antitumour activity in human ovarian carcinoma cells.
Link to journal article
Micelles based on Gold-Glycopolymer Complexes as New Chemotherapy Drug Delivery Agents
S Pearson, W Scarano and M H Stenzel
Chem. Commun., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2cc30510k
