Chemists at Bielefeld University have developed a molecule
containing copper that binds specifically with DNA and prevents the spread of
cancer. First results show that it kills the cancer cells more quickly than
cisplatin – a widely used anti-cancer drug that is frequently administered in
chemotherapy. When developing the anti-tumour agent, Professor Dr. Thorsten
Glaser and his team cooperated with biochemists and physicists. The design of
the new agent is basic research. ‘How and whether the copper complex will
actually be given to cancer patients is something that medical research will
have to determine in the years to come,’ says the chemist.