Protein scissors for more effective cancer treatment

Biologist Daniel Richter has developed a method that enables proteins to be linked to a drug molecule or biomarker with a high level of stability. He plans to use this method in the future to identify tumor cells and open the door to more effective cancer drugs. White surfaces, brightly colored liquids in glass containers and appliances that wouldn't look out of place in the average kitchen. Pipetting devices hang on the walls alongside safety instructions for their use. Inside a large transparent box, a shaker holding glass flasks filled with green liquid oscillates over and over to the same rhythm. At first glance, the room where ETH doctoral candidate Daniel Richter carries out his research looks a lot like many other laboratories dotted around the globe. There's nothing to suggest that this is where the 24-year-old from Liechtenstein is busy working on a biochemical process that ETH Zurich has named the most promising patent-pending invention of the past year. Alongside Richter, postdoc Edgars Lakis and ETH Professor Jörn Piel from the Institute of Microbiology are also working on the method. With their invention, the three researchers hope not only to considerably expand the pharmaceutical industry's toolbox, but also to assist with the breakthrough of more effective cancer therapies. But first they have several obstacles to overcome before their goals can be achieved. Drugs that target cancer more effectively