Anita Mattson, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, received a $1.7-million award from NIH to develop a new class of catalysts that could make it possible to reliably synthesize organic compounds that hold the promise of treating cancers that have become resistant to commonly used chemotherapy. The catalysts may also open the door to a new approach to discovering drugs for cancer and other diseases.
“It's really, really important that every year since 1991, cancer mortality has dropped by a little bit, and it did again!” said Paul Goldberg, editor and publisher of The Cancer Letter. “Now, mortality is a good metric, age-adjusted mortality. As far as survival, well, that's not so good.”
