Indian Scientists Develop Selective 'Smart' Cancer Drug Candidate

Researchers from IASST and IIT Guwahati have developed RK-251, a prodrug designed to remain inactive in healthy cells and activate only within cancer cells using reactive oxygen species.

Preclinical tests on triple-negative breast cancer cells and zebrafish embryos showed strong anticancer activity with minimal toxicity, potentially addressing chemotherapy resistance and side effects.

While the findings are promising, medical oncologists emphasize that RK-251 is currently in the preclinical stage and has not yet been tested for safety or efficacy in human trials.