This new innovative research project has been awarded to Dr Kogularamanan Suntharalingam from the University of Leicester. Dr Suntharalingam aims to identify a completely new series of drugs designed to seek out and effectively kill osteosarcoma cells
Most drugs are described as ‘organic’ meaning they are primarily made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Scientists are exploring the idea of incorporating metal atoms into new drugs because their unique chemical and physical properties offer a potential new way of killing cancer cells.
Dr Suntharalingam has recently found a series of metal containing molecules that effectively kill bulk osteosarcoma cells and osteosarcoma stem cells that are resistant to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. The initial series of compounds, prepared in his laboratory, were over 400-fold more effective than cisplatin against methotrexate-resistant osteosarcoma cells, and significantly less toxic towards non-cancerous cells of various tissue types, including lung, breast, skin, and kidney.
This research project aims to further develop these molecules by incorporating bone-seeking elements to the metal-based drugs, to enable targeted delivery to osteosarcoma cells.
The second part of the investigation will concentrate on the biological evaluation of these new drugs and the best candidates will be selected for in vivo investigation, this will be in a follow up phase of the project.
If successful, this research has the potential to identify a completely new series of drugs that seek and effectively kill osteosarcoma cells.
To find out more about the research project, click below.