SCIENTISTS at the University of York have been awarded £110,000 to investigate potential uses of carbon monoxide in treating disease.

Dr Jason Lynam and Dr Ian Fairlamb, of the University's Department of Chemistry, have been granted the funding for a three-year study into the use of metal compounds for the controlled release of the compound into the bloodstream.

Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas and is commonly formed as a toxic pollutant when hydrocarbon fuels (natural gas, petrol, diesel) are burned.

The Leverhulme Trust, which donates funds for the support of research and education, awarded the chemists the money to explore the potential of the gas in the treatment of high blood pressure, heart disease and possibly cancer.

Dr Fairlamb said: "You can use certain carbon monoxide molecules to elicit a whole range of biological effects.

"Carbon monoxide is produced naturally as a result of the breakdown of haemoglobin.

"This can be seen in the healing process of a bruise, where various colour changes indicate the degradation of haemoglobin and release of carbon monoxide.

"The slow release of carbon monoxide reduces blood pressure for someone who has angina, for instance.

"This work is very much in its infancy. We became involved because some of our organometallic compounds, which carry carbon monoxide, were showing potential to release carbon monoxide slowly in a controlled manner.

"They degrade to give benign non-toxic products which do not target immune response."

Dr Lynam said they wanted to develop molecules that would release carbon monoxide in a sort of slow trickle feed, rather than administer it in its normal toxic, gaseous form.

He said: "We aim to make tuneable compounds which allow you to alter the rate at which carbon monoxide is released, which could be important in different bioapplications.

"We are adopting a complementary approach to the design of these molecules using the natural interface between organic and inorganic chemistry."

The project will examine the physical and electronic characteristics of potentially suitable compounds and identify those which are absorbed best by the body with the aim of starting clinical studies in three years' time.

The department has 46 members of academic staff, more than 380 undergraduate students, 150 graduates and 90 research fellows.