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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Scientists Develop Carbon Monoxide-Based Therapy That Could Stop Cancer From Spreading

Cancer becomes far more dangerous when it spreads from its original location to other parts of the body. This process, known as metastasis, is responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Now, researchers have developed a surprising new strategy that may help prevent this deadly spread: using carefully controlled amounts of carbon monoxide.

In a recent preclinical study published in Advanced Science, scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine created a new metal-free carbon monoxide prodrug that significantly reduced the spread of pancreatic cancer and triple-negative breast cancer in animal models. The findings could open the door to a completely new way of preventing cancer recurrence after treatment.

Why Cancer Spread Is So Difficult to Stop

For many cancer patients, surgery and chemotherapy successfully remove or destroy most of the tumor. However, even after treatment appears successful, tiny numbers of cancer cells can remain hidden in the body.

These surviving cells may travel through the bloodstream and eventually establish new tumors in distant organs such as the liver, lungs, or bones. Months or even years later, cancer can return in a more aggressive form.

Because of this, scientists have been searching for therapies that can prevent these leftover cancer cells from growing and spreading. Such treatments could dramatically improve survival rates for patients with aggressive cancers.

An Unusual Candidate: Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is widely known as a dangerous gas. High levels can prevent oxygen from reaching the body's tissues and can be fatal.

However, the story is more complex than many people realize.

Human bodies naturally produce small amounts of carbon monoxide during normal biological processes. At these low levels, the gas plays important roles in regulating inflammation, cell signaling, and other functions.

Previous research suggested that low doses of carbon monoxide might also interfere with cancer metastasis. In 2022, researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine reported that controlled amounts of carbon monoxide slowed metastatic progression in several preclinical cancer models.

The challenge was finding a safe way to deliver the gas.

The Problem With Existing Approaches

Using inhaled carbon monoxide as a medical treatment presents obvious safety concerns. It is difficult to precisely control the amount reaching tissues, and excessive exposure can be dangerous.

Scientists have also experimented with special molecules called carbon monoxide-releasing molecules. These compounds release carbon monoxide inside the body after administration.

However, many of these molecules contain metals such as ruthenium, manganese, or iron. While they can deliver carbon monoxide, they often leave behind metal-containing byproducts that may cause toxicity and limit their clinical usefulness.

Researchers needed a safer alternative.

A New Metal-Free Prodrug

To solve this problem, the research team developed a metal-free carbon monoxide prodrug called CO-116.

A prodrug is an inactive compound that becomes active after entering the body. In this case, CO-116 was designed to release carefully controlled amounts of carbon monoxide after being administered intravenously.

The compound was synthesized by a team led by chemist Dr. Binghe Wang at Georgia State University.

Unlike previous approaches, CO-116 delivers carbon monoxide without leaving behind potentially harmful metal residues.

This design makes it a promising candidate for future medical applications.

Testing the Therapy in Cancer Models

The researchers tested CO-116 in several mouse models of pancreatic cancer and triple-negative breast cancer.

These two cancers are among the most aggressive forms of the disease and are well known for their ability to spread rapidly throughout the body.

The results were encouraging.

Mice treated with CO-116 showed significantly less metastatic tumor growth in both the liver and lungs compared with untreated animals.

Equally important, the treatment appeared to be safe.

Researchers found no evidence of significant toxicity. The animals maintained normal body weight, showed no unusual behavioral changes, and tolerated the treatment well.

These findings suggest that controlled carbon monoxide delivery may be able to suppress cancer spread without causing serious side effects.

Timing Matters

One of the study's most interesting discoveries involved dosing schedules.

Researchers compared different ways of administering the same total amount of CO-116.

Surprisingly, smaller doses given more frequently produced better results than one larger weekly dose.

This suggests that maintaining consistent levels of carbon monoxide exposure may be more effective than delivering larger amounts less often.

The finding could have important implications for future clinical development because it indicates that treatment timing may be just as important as the total dose administered.

Understanding the optimal schedule could help maximize effectiveness while minimizing potential risks.

Discovering How the Therapy Works

The team did more than simply show that CO-116 reduced metastasis. They also investigated the biological mechanisms behind its effects.

Their experiments revealed that the prodrug lowers levels of a protein called HRG1.

HRG1 plays an important role in helping cancer cells import heme, an iron-containing molecule that cells use for numerous essential functions.

Many cancer cells depend heavily on heme-related processes to support rapid growth, movement, and survival.

When CO-116 reduced HRG1 levels, it disrupted a signaling pathway that normally helps cancer cells migrate and establish new tumors.

In other words, the treatment appears to weaken some of the cellular machinery cancer cells need to spread throughout the body.

HRG1: A Potential New Target

To better understand HRG1's role, researchers genetically altered cancer cells.

When they increased HRG1 levels, cancer cells became more aggressive and less responsive to carbon monoxide treatment.

However, when HRG1 levels were reduced, metastatic growth slowed dramatically in both pancreatic and breast cancer models.

These results suggest that HRG1 itself could become an important target for future cancer therapies.

The protein may also serve as a biomarker—a measurable characteristic that helps doctors identify which patients are most likely to benefit from treatment.

If future studies confirm these findings, testing HRG1 levels could help personalize therapy and improve treatment outcomes.

What Happens Next?

Although the results are exciting, CO-116 is still in the early stages of development.

The current research was conducted in animal models, and much more work is required before human clinical trials can begin.

Scientists must still answer several important questions:

  • Is the treatment safe over long periods?

  • What is the ideal dosing schedule?

  • Will the anti-metastatic effects continue after treatment stops?

  • Can the therapy work alongside existing cancer treatments?

Future studies will focus on addressing these issues before moving toward clinical testing.

A Promising New Direction in Cancer Treatment

Metastasis remains one of the greatest challenges in cancer medicine. Even when primary tumors are successfully treated, hidden cancer cells can return and spread, leading to life-threatening disease.

The development of CO-116 offers a promising new approach. By safely delivering controlled amounts of carbon monoxide without toxic metal byproducts, the therapy appears capable of disrupting key biological pathways that help cancer spread.

While human testing is still some years away, the study provides the first evidence that a non-inhaled, metal-free carbon monoxide prodrug can effectively suppress metastasis in multiple cancer models.

If future research confirms these findings, treatments like CO-116 could one day be used after surgery or chemotherapy to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and improve survival for patients facing some of the deadliest forms of cancer.

Reference: T. Zhang, X. Chen, X. Yang, et al. “A Metal-Free Carbon Monoxide Prodrug Suppresses Metastasis of Pancreatic and Breast Cancer.” Advanced Science13, no. 29 (2026): e19898. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202519898

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