In Which Strange Things Are Done to Man and Beast

First up, the chemotherapy drug capecitabine, marketed as Xeloda, is making a name for itself as a security risk at airports. Among the drugs side effects is one known commonly as hand-foot syndrome, which causes blistering and cracking on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. In the most severe cases, this blistering can cause the erasure of a patients fingerprints, resulting in embarrassing hang ups of the sort encountered by a 62 year old traveller from Singapore, who was detained by US customs authorities as a possible security risk after he tried to enter the United States without fingerprints.

Meanwhile, heredity research took a strange step forward this week with the development of transgenic marmosets that glow green when exposed to UV light. While the marmosets are capable of passing the trait on to their offspring, fulfilling researchers goals for the purposes of studying heredity in Parkinson’s disease, attempts to imbue the monkeys with rage induced super strength have so far remained fruitless.

 

Seek and Destroy

Researchers newest and most unnerving cancer treatment made news this week, with researchers working on nanoparticle techniques that can not only zap cancerous cells more effectively, but also seek out the unwanted cells before they become dangerous. 

The ounce of prevention comes in the form of dextrose coated silicon particles that have the potential to help health care professionals find tumors more quickly. They could also help deliver chemotherapy medications more precisely, cutting down on the harshness of chemo side effects for patients.

Meanwhile, a pound of cure may soon be available in the form of hollow gold nanoparticles that can work their say inside of cancerous cells. Once inside a tumor, the tiny particles can be bombarded with infrared light. As they absorb the light, they heat up, boiling the cancerous tissue from the inside. For a great visual aid that’s a little light on exposition, check out the video below.