A step closer to the cure for cancer?

[VisionofMilotic]

I was not sure whether or not this needs to go in Deep Discussion or Technology, so feel free to move this thread around if need be, but I have some fascinating and hopeful news that I would like to share.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...iped-out-the-dinosaurs-could-cure-cancer/amp/

We may be to use the rare metal iridium to selectively kill cancer cells.

 

[Eleanor]

Quite interesting!
because I'm studying biology :]

Spoiler:

Some more technical things and ramblings:
first, this looks like a new kind of photodynamic therapy (which has been used for a while now and seems quite effective):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photodynamic_therapy
Second, the sentence "Blasting the metal with a laser beam produces a poisonous form of oxygen that is deadly for tumor cells – and harmless for healthy ones." left me puzzled... apparently that form of oxygen (singlet: it's a different configuration of electrons) is always toxic, because it immediately reacts with organic compounds. This doesn't mean that the therapy doesn't work though! From what I understand, the active iridium keeps changing normal oxygen into singlet oxygen - but the iridium is only active in cancer cells anyways. Normal cells usually can transform singlet oxygen into normal oxygen regardless.