Pre-clinical tests found two ruthenium polypyridyl complexes, or RPCs, yielded results comparable to cisplatin against human non-small cell lung cancer cells and were generally cleared from the body unchanged, without noticeable effects on metabolism or kidney function. Healthy cells could withstand almost 10 times as much exposure to the ruthenium complexes as the cancer cells and the RPCs seemed to target cells in hypoxic states.

Source: New ruthenium complexes target cancer cells without typical side effects, study suggests