Cancerous tumours could be shot down with golden ‘bullets’

TINY golden “bullets” could eventually be used to target and destroy cancerous tumours while leaving healthy tissue unharmed, scientists claimed yesterday.

Using nanotechnology (the science of building new materials and devices atom by atom), US researchers conducted experiments on breast cancer cells and in mice to target cancers.

The team, led by Jennifer West at Rice University in Houston, claimed their technique could in the future be used to treat tumours which have been hard to target until now.