The goal sounds simple: to find a safe, natural process for use in cancer research. But, no one found one until now.

MU professor of radiology and technology, Kattesh Katti, and his research team developed "gold nano-particles" that use the common soybean as their base. The natural solution is made without potentially harmful chemicals.

"We didn't want to destroy the environment in our process to save lives. So saving a human life is also connected very nicely and intimately with saving our own environment," says Katti.

Researchers have used nano technology research to target and treat cancer, but never before has it been all natural.

To make the gold nano-molecules, scientists use organic soybeans, gold salt, and water. Scientists will use the soybean based nano-molecule by detecting cancer at early stages.

"If we can detect cancers of the prostate or cancers of the breast at the very early stages, there's a good chance that we could cure these patients and make them free of cancer for all their life," says Kavita Katti, senior research analyst.

The gold nano-partical solutions are still in their early stages of testing.

"Once we think that it is stable, then one of our colleagues she does the cell entry studies and then we give the solution samples to the recommend people," says Kavita. "They will inject into the animals and they do the bio-distribution studies and all."

Researchers hope the gold nano-particles will be available for treatment in the next five to ten years. Researchers also hope they'll be used in production of cars, computers and cell phones.