Instead of the usual convoluted energy production process, they’re snapping glucose molecules in half. In fact, cancer cells tend to prefer this shortcut even when oxygen is present, which makes it a tempting target for treatments. These compounds act like biological smart bombs, using antibodies to target only cancer cells before delivering their payload of chemotherapy. And because they’re smaller, they’re able to target even proteins that are inside cells.” The new drug exploits the unique metabolism of cancer cells.