LEVERAGING GEOCHEMICAL KNOWLEDGE TO ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF METALLO-DRUG TOXICITY (Invited Presentation)

The integration of geochemical expertise with biomedical research yields unique insights into the fate of metals within the human body. Understanding the speciation of metals in biological fluids allows for predictive understanding of toxicity as well as the secondary illnesses. Exploring the interaction among metals within human systems requires the deep understanding of metal fate and transport, speciation, and provenance that geochemists have as innate skills. Combining this knowledge with geochemical modelling, when applied to human tissues and fluids, enables new medical insights. Moreover application of traditional geochemical analytical methods to solving biomedical questions leads to the development of new technologies. Through the lens of metallo-drug therapeutics this talk will demonstrate the advancements in biomedical research enabled by geochemical investigation of the platinum group and rare earth element chemistry of plasma and bone. These include the relation between drug dosage, metal-metal interactions, and the incidence of secondary cancers in testicular cancer survivors treated with platinum-based chemotherapies.