A group of researchers at King Abdullah University of Sciences and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have discovered three herbal plants which can be used to combat cancer. These plants carrying cytotoxic (harmful/destructive to living cells) potential, have traditionally been used against a host of diseases.

In an effort to devise inexpensive treatment options against cancer, a group of scientists led by Dr. Timothy Ravasi and Dr. Christian Voolstra set out to study a local plant derived agent that has the property to hamper cell growth. Timothy Ravasi – a professor of Bioscience at KAUST – has a Ph.D from the University of Milan in Italy. Ravasi who specializes in systems biology is also working with Christian Voolstra on discovering new bioactive compounds from Red Sea marine animals.

PhD student from KAUST studying anticancer potential of native plant species

The researchers discovered that a chemical compound found in plant extracts has the ability to inhibit the activity of (topoisomerase) enzymes that play a vital role in cell division. Enzymes are biological agents that accelerate chemical reactions. In order for a cell to divide and produce copies of itself the cell undergoes a process called DNA replication. The topoisomerase enzymes participate in a process that facilities the replication cycle (they correct topological problems caused by the double stranded DNA structure). Inhibitors of this enzyme are the most widely used anticancer drugs.

The researchers narrowed down their search to three plants after investigating around 52 plants for their biological properties. They used plant extracts to demonstrate that the said plants contain substances capable of acting as topoisomerase inhibitors thereby stalling uncontrolled cell growth.

This discovery builds upon a series of research in a branch of science called Natural Products Chemistry that involves the use of naturally occurring chemical compounds having therapeutic capabilities for producing drugs in the pharmaceutical industry.

This initial research although a step in the right direction is fraught with challenges. The development of new drugs derived from naturally occurring compounds is a complex and expensive process. In the Muslim World, there is an old and established practice of traditional medicine but it has been challenge to bring this traditional knowledge to the 21^st Century.

There are several research centers in Natural Products Chemistry the most notable – HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry which has the additional title of being the International Center of Chemical and Biological Sciences – has been active in the Natural Products Chemistry for many decades is seeking to develop the capacity to convert this science into pharmaceutical drugs after appropriate animal and himan testing.

While this discovery is a step in the right direction, the Muslim world has a long way to go to fully capitalize on these discoveries and need to make more focused efforts – and expend more resources – to indigenize the drug development cycle.

Cancer cells have been programmed back to normal by scientists in a breakthrough which could lead to new treatments and even reverse tumour growth.

Researchers have discovered the earliest confirmed case of cancer in a young man who lived in ancient Egypt.

The discovery of a diseased skeleton dating back to around 1,200 BC was made at the Amara West site in northern Sudan. The new finding suggests that the disease has its roots in the distant past. Details of the skeleton have been published in the Journal PLOS ONE. The skeleton was discovered by Michaela Binder, a PhD student at Durham University. She said the find was of “critical importance in learning about the underlying causes of cancer in ancient populations, before the onset of modern lifestyles”.

Cancer is thought of as a modern-day disease, spurred on by smoking, unhealthy lifestyles and the stresses of day-to-day living. Ms Binder’s discovery suggests that the disease was prevalent thousands of years ago. “I was surprised to see such a cancer in an individual from ancient Egyptian times,” she told BBC News. “We still don’t know a lot about cancer. Only a very few examples have been found of the disease in the distant past.”

Ms Binder’s finding is of particular interest because it is 2,000 years older than the previously confirmed instance of the disease. When she unearthed the skeleton she found that the bones were riddled with holes. She worked with Daniel Antoine, a curator at the British Museum, who is responsible for the museum’s human remains. “It was very exciting to work with such a well preserved skeleton,” he told BBC News. Close up Close-up pictures showed that the bones were riddled with holes caused by a type of cancer. “The marks on the bones were very clear and our analysis showed that there was evidence that the young man suffered from a type of cancer.”

The discovery will be of great interest to medical researchers, according to Dr Kat Arney of Cancer Research UK. “If they can analyse the DNA from the skeleton, it might tell us about the gene mutations that made [this person] susceptible to this type of cancer. That could shed light on the evolution of the disease, along with the evolution of humankind.”

There have been some previous hints of the disease in archaeological records. Last year, a US researcher published details of a 120,000-year-old fossilized Neanderthal rib that showed indications of a bone tumour. There have been other finds from around 4,000 years back that show some similar signs. But without a full skeleton to show the spread of the disease, it is hard to confirm that these specimens actually had cancer.

Source: BBC News