Dr. Nikolay Gerasimchuk, professor of chemistry, works on ways to treat cancer.

He recently was awarded a patent for his research with compounds that have more than one application.

In a multistep interdisciplinary project, Gerasimchuk looked at solids that emit near-infrared light.

This led him to discovering a series of new dark green platinum compounds with unusual structures. He has discovered six new compounds so far.

What may be the most interesting part is that these compounds have cytotoxicity against several human cancer cell lines.

These six compounds are rare because of where they land on the light spectrum.

The patent covers how to make these compounds and where we can use them.

How it works

This research has been over 15 years in the making.

Gerasimchuk started research on synthesis and characterization of new platinum and palladium compounds in 2001. Detailed investigation of the light emitting properties started in 2010.

Gerasimchuk says this work would have been impossible without Dr. Mikhail Berezin, a professor at Washington University Medical School.

He allowed Gerasimchuk to use his equipment to study emissive characteristics of these new compounds.

They will continue to work together on this project. Gerasimchuk hopes to patent new technology to make and apply these unique compounds soon.

Congratulations!