A new class of anti-cancer, platinum-based drugs have been identified by researchers in the US.

According to Medical News Today, experts from Virginia Commonwealth University's Massey Cancer Center have created a new anti-cancer agent which can overcome the problem of acquired drug resistance through modifying the way it is absorbed into cancer cells, as well as then attacking the DNA of those cells.

The platinum-based agent could be used in a new range of drugs which would reduce the resistance of tumours and expand the range and types of cancers that can be tackled using platinum drugs.

"Our novel compound was designed to overcome resistance by emphasizing new modes of DNA binding, and in the process we have found that the amount of platinum drug entering cells is increased," explains Nicholas Farrell, professor and chair in the Department of Chemistry at the centre and lead researcher of the project.

In his comments in the journal Inorganic Chemistry, he added: "The effectiveness of a platinum drug in killing cells is directly related to its concentration inside the cell."


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