18
September
2019
|
17:58
Asia/Singapore

NUS team designing anti-cancer drug that has fewer toxic effects

A team of three researchers from NUS Faculty of Science, Assoc Prof Ang Wee Han and Dr Maria Babak, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, both from the Dept of Chemistry and Assoc Prof Giorgia Pastorin from the Dept of Pharmacy, together with a counterpart from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, are developing an anti-cancer drug, which unlike its peers, can “home in” on the energy production centres of cancer cells and destroy them – leaving healthy cells and tissues untouched in the process.  This anti-cancer drug which has better treatment outcomes serves as an alternative to cisplatin, a platinum-based drug used since 1965 and known to have toxic side effects.