Meteorite That Killed Dinosaurs May Save Humanity

Researchers from Warwick University in England and Sun-Yat Sen University in China have come to the conclusion that Iridium, the second-densest metal on Earth, could be indispensible in fighting cancer. Iridium elements, generally scarce on our planet, were found on the meteorite that landed in the Gulf of Mexico 66 million years ago and was responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs.

First discovered in 1803, Iridium is the world’s most corrosion-resistant metal, with a melting point of more than 2,400 degrees Celsius. And while it’s rare on Earth, it is abundant in meteoroids.

The researchers found that when Iridium is combined with Albumin, a blood protein, and then blasted with light to allow them to track its passage into the nuclei of cancer cells, it then converts the malignant cells’ oxygen to a lethal form, killing them in the process without harming healthy tissue. For the first time ever, scientists were able to pinpoint parts of cancer cells affected by treatment by using state-of-the-art ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry. Their research paper, “Organo-iridium photosensitizers can induce specific oxidative attack on proteins in cancer cells,” was published in the Angewandte Chemie journal.

“It is amazing that this large protein can penetrate into cancer cells and deliver iridium which can kill them selectively on activation with visible light,” said Peter Sadler, Professor in the Chemistry Department of the University of Warwick. “If this technology can be translated into the clinic, it might be effective against resistant cancers and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.”

Cancer treatment with light, photochemotherapy, uses chemical compounds, Nuclei Overlap photosensitizers. They are turned on by light to become oxidized and kill cancer cells while bypassing healthy cells. The combination of Iridium with Albumin was found to be an effective way to approach the nucleus of the cancer cells, launching the process by light irradiation.

“It is fascinating how albumin can deliver our photosensitizer so specifically to the nucleus,” said Dr. Cinzia Imberti of the University of Warwick. “We are at a very early stage, but we are looking forward to see where the preclinical development of this new compound can lead.”

“This project is a leap forward in understanding how these new iridium-based anti-cancer compounds are attacking cancer cells, introducing different mechanisms of action, to get around the resistance issue and tackle cancer from a different angle,” said Cookson Chiu, study co-author.

The bottom line is that the rare element that was catastrophic for dinosaurs in the Mesozoic era and the reason for wiping out 80 percent of life on Earth may be the future of humanity, a key to tackling cancer. In the world where cancer patients are becoming resistant to traditional therapies, a new pathway for fighting the disease offers promise.

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