From the ArcaMax Publishing, Science & Technology Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/technology/s-347864-739057
OKLAHOMA CITY (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they have
discovered a compound that, in laboratory tests, has shown success in
preventing cancer.
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center researchers said the
compound, which still faces several rounds of clinical trials,
successfully stopped normal cells from turning into cancer cells and
inhibited the ability of tumors to grow and form blood vessels.
If successful tests continue, researchers eventually hope to create a
daily pill that would be taken as a cancer preventive.
"This compound was effective against the 12 types of cancers that it
was tested on," said Doris Benbrook, the study's principle
investigator. "Even more promising for health care is that it prevents
the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells and is therefore
now being developed by the National Cancer Institute as a cancer
prevention drug."
The synthetic compound directly targets abnormalities in cancer cell
components without damaging normal cells, researchers said. The
disruption causes cancer cells to die and keeps tumors from forming.
Benbrook and her team have patented the discovery and hope to start
clinical trials for the compound within 5 years.