Particle tracks chemo's speed, effectiveness.

• Position: Chemotherapy - Brief article

Tracking the path of chemotherapy drugs in real time and at a cellular level could revolutionize cancer care and help doctors sort out why two patients might respond differently to the same treatment. Researchers at Ohio State University, Columbus, have found a way to light up a common cancer drug so they can see where the chemo goes and how long it takes to get there. This organic technique--which has created a scientific guiding star--could open up a new frontier in their field. Previous efforts have been limited by dyes that faded quickly and by toxic elements, particularly metals.

First, the researchers created a luminescent molecule--called a peptide--made up of two amino acids. Then they hitched that light to the cancer medication so that it revealed the chemo's arrival within cells. "This is very important for personalized medicine. We really want to see what's going on when we give chemo drugs...