A group of researchers led by Lajos Gera and Robert Hodges has developed two sets of compounds: flurbiprofen analogs and silylalkyloxyaryl amino acid analog compounds that have proven to be effective against a wide variety of cancer cell lines. Both were screened using the NCI-60 cell lines, a panel of 60 diverse human cancer cell lines used by National Cancer Institute to screen potential new cancer therapies. Sila-substitution (C/Si exchange) of existing drugs is relatively recent approach in the search for drug candidates. The introduction of a silicon atom within a known drug molecule can lead to a significant pharmacological benefit over their carbon counterparts. The research group designed, developed and synthesized a new generation of the anti-cancer small molecules described above by introducing a silicon atom at the strategic point of the small molecules. The resulting highly potent silicon-containing anti-cancer compounds were found to be effective against lung (esp. non-small cell lung), head and neck, melanoma, pancreatic, bone, brain (esp. neuroblastoma), leukemia, colon, ovarian, renal, prostate, and breast cancer cells.