CAIRO - At a recent press conference in Cairo, famous Egyptian scientist Moustafa el-Sayyed announced the success of the second stage of his trials with gold particles for treating cancer. He predicted that the new treatment would be available in three years' time at the most, after trials on humans. So far, gold nano particles have been successfully used to treat mice with cancer without any side-effects on other bodily organs. El-Sayyed's trials have been attracting wide public interest, not only because he has been treating different kinds of cancer from which many Egyptians suffer, but also because this is one of very few new treatments for this deadly disease, other than the traditional chemotherapy and radiation that have numerous side-effects. Hopefully, the Ministry of Health will swiftly acknowledge the new treatment, once the trials are finished, in order to relieve the pain of millions of Egyptians. One of the good things about these trials is that the scientists involved include many Egyptians working at the National Research Centre. The usage of nano-technology for treating cancer reflects a global trend for using non-traditional treatment for different types of cancer. Cancer is not a single disease but ‘an army of enemies' that requires various weapons to defeat, while the treatment varies from patient to patient. Scientists have started targeting the gene that triggers certain kind of cancer, curbing its attempts to transform healthy cells into cancerous cells. There are also studies which involve helping the immune system confront cancerous cells. There is a wide gap between medical research in Egypt and the developed world, and el-Sayyed's trials are doing something to help bridge it. We hope that one day the gap will disappear forever, when Egypt adopts a giant project for research and technological development.
