U.K. reseachers dream up chemo combo drug delivery alternative

Most chemotherapy drugs are still delivered to the body through an intravenous drip over several hours or by injection, both tedious and painful exercises. Researchers from the University of Bradford are trying to change that. In a test, they plan to adapt an unnamed chemotherapy drug's chemical structure to make a new "carrier molecule." Scientists will then attach it to other established drugs—in either a tablet or capsule—which would allow patients to swallow the treatment, like an aspirin. To be determined: If the combined chemo drug/delivery system would distribute the treatment more effectively. What is hoped for: an efficient alternative that reduces side effects and offers patients a simpler chemotherapy option. Release