RK‑251 remains inactive in normal tissues and is triggered by reactive oxygen molecules inside tumors.
Activation releases NBDHEX, which blocks survival proteins in cancer cells.
The drug showed high effectiveness against aggressive triple‑negative breast cancer in lab studies.
Zebrafish embryo tests indicated low toxicity and visible activation through fluorescence.
Further research is needed before the medicine can be tested in people.
The drug exploits the high levels of reactive oxygen molecules found in many tumors to release an anticancer compound called NBDHEX, which interferes with proteins that help cancer cells survive.
Pre‑clinical experiments, including tests on triple‑negative breast cancer cells and zebrafish embryos, showed strong anti‑cancer activity with minimal impact on healthy cells, but the medicine still requires extensive safety and effectiveness studies before human trials.
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