A precious metal which has never been used in a clinical setting is being developed as an anti-cancer agent by researchers at the University of Warwick. The metal, osmium, is closely related to platinum, which is widely used to treat cancers in the form of the drug cisplatin. US cyclist Lance Armstrong, for example, was treated with cisplatin for testicular cancer. The researchers, based in the Department of Chemistry, are working with Warwick Ventures, the university’s technology transfer office, to seek partners to help develop the potential of osmium through more extensive biological tests. The team recently presented their work at Biodiversity 2008, the national university technology showcase event. Professor Peter Sadler, of the Department of Chemistry, explained: ‘Although cisplatin has been proven to be a very successful treatment, it is not useful for all kinds of cancer. It is also quite a toxic therapy, which can produce side effects and, from a clinical point of view, cells can also become resistant to platinum.’ Osmium has shown promise in treating several different types of cancer cell, including ovarian and colon cancers, which have been developed and tested in the laboratory. Another advantage is that it is a much cheaper alternative to platinum. Professor Sadler and post-graduate researcher Sabine van Rijt are working to develop new compounds using Osmium, which they hope will lead to the development of drugs that could be used in combination therapies alongside existing drugs such as cisplatin.

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