Researchers have found a way to use carbon monoxide generated by cancer cells themselves to produce an anticancer drug, according to News-Medical, which published the report on Friday, 23 October 2026.
The approach turns a substance already present in the tumour environment into a treatment, News-Medical reports. The outlet's headline describes the work as harnessing the gas to make the drug.
News-Medical's summary gives few specifics, and the report does not detail which drug is produced, how the conversion works, or which research team is behind the work. It also does not state whether the findings come from laboratory experiments or animal studies, or whether any human testing has begun.
The report frames the research around carbon monoxide, a gas that cancer cells produce. Rather than introducing an external compound, the method described by News-Medical draws on that existing output as the starting material for a cancer-fighting agent.
Details on the mechanism, the study's design and any results remain limited in the published summary. Readers seeking specifics should consult the full report on News-Medical's website.
What to watch next: whether the researchers publish fuller data on how the conversion works and how far the approach has been tested.
