Published in Chemistry World, 8 Apr 2009
A florescent molecule naturally present in human tissue acts as an indicator of cancer, say bioengineers in the US, who have developed techniques to trace the molecule’s concentration, structure and position within a cell.
NADH, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a molecule that resides mostly in a cell’s mitochondria, where the vital process of energy production takes place. During this process NADH works with enzymes to produce ATP, a molecule that transports chemical energy around the cell so that it can continue to function. At the onset of cancer, however, the enzymes become disabled, leaving unused NADH to build up. […]
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