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Monday, 7th August 2006 (5979 views)

Major gold producer Harmony Gold has been conducting research into cancer therapies as part of Project AuTEK Biomed, a collaboration with metals firm Mintek.

The project aims at developing biomedicine incorporating gold in South Africa, and has been targeting cancer, which affects one in six men and one in seven women in the country, Mining Weekly reports.

Certain forms of cancer, including skin melanoma and pancreatic cancer, are on the increase in South Africa and new therapies are needed.

AuTEK has been developing metal-based antitumour chemotherapies since 2002. More than 140 gold-based compounds have been screened against tumour cell lines and some have been found to be potent.

The compounds displayed high tumour selectivity and a patent application has been submitted, indicating that a new treatment could be on the horizon.

AuTEK scientists are now attempting to understand the way in which these compounds affect cancer cells.

Mintek is a state-owned company and is also working together with other gold companies, including AngloGold, as part of a wider collaboration into the scientific uses of gold.

 

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