Whilst the chemotherapeutic success of platinum is undeniable, it is by no means the perfect drug. It is not effective against many common types of cancer, drug resistance is common and it has a deplorable range of side effects, which can include nerve damage, hair loss and nausea. To overcome these limitations, some compounds based on ruthenium have been developed and tested against cancer cell lines. These compounds tend to cause fewer side effects compared to platinum drugs. Ruthenium compounds represent one of the great success stories of metals in medicine. Two ruthenium compounds are...