Discovery
The compound we call cisplatin was first synthesized by M. Peyrone in 1844 and has been
called Peyrone's chloride. Its structure was first elucidated by Alfred Werner
in 1893. The compound then enjoyed several decades of relative obscurity.
In the early 1960's, a series of experiments in the laboratories of Barnett
Rosenberg at the Michigan State University found some peculiar results. An
experiment designed to measure the effect of electrical currents on cell
growth yielded Escherichia coli that were 300 times the normal length.
This effect was not due to the electrical fields themselves but to a
chemical agent that was formed in a reaction between the supposedly inert
platinum electrodes and components of the solution. The chemical agent was
later determined to be cisplatin. Further tests revealed the compound had
prevented cell division, but not other growth processes in the bacteria, leading to the
elongation. This effect prompted Barnett's group to test cisplatin against
tumors in mice. It was found to be highly effective in eliminating tumors.
Human trials produced positive results, limited, to some extent by toxic side
effects. Once the side effects could be made bearable through the use of
adjuvant therapies, the compound's effectiveness was proven. It was approved
for use in 1978.