Latest news with #NatureChemicalBiology
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Deadly fungus tied to a pharaoh's tomb may help fight cancer
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A fatal fungus once thought to be a curse could potentially help fight disease. Scientists discovered molecules in a fungus linked to Tutankhamun's tomb that stop the proliferation of cancer cells and are as effective as currently used treatments. Fungi may hold a treasure trove of medical breakthroughs just waiting to be unearthed. The "pharaoh's curse" fungus, Aspergillus flavus, can be used to fight leukemia, according to a study published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. The fungus is called "pharaoh's curse" because it is "linked to the deaths of several archeologists who opened ancient tombs around the world, including the famous discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun in the 1920s," said Popular Mechanics. At the time, many believed the deaths to be the result of an ancient curse rather than fungal inhalation. Aspergillus flavus is known as a "microbial villain," said Popular Science. It is "one of the most frequently isolated mold species in both agriculture and medicine," and is "commonly found in soil and can infect a broad range of important agricultural crops." Exposure to the fungus can lead to lung infections, especially in those who are immunocompromised. Despite its deadly reputation, the fungus contains a class of peptides that can fight cancer when modified. Researchers were able to isolate four molecules from A. flavus, which they named "asperigimycins." The molecules were capable of forming a unique structure of interlocking rings. "Even without genetic modifications, the asperigimycins demonstrated medical potential when mixed together with human cancer cells," said Popular Science. "Two out of the four variants had potent effects against leukemia cells." When fatty molecules called lipids were added to the mix, the asperigimycins were as effective as the FDA-approved drugs used to treat the cancer. There also seem to be no apparent side effects from A. flavus. Asperigimycins are part of a class of molecules called ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides, or RiPPs. A number of them have been found in bacteria, but they are "rare in fungi and notoriously hard to study," said Wired. This is "mainly because no one was looking closely until now." However, "even though only a few have been found, almost all of them have strong bioactivity," Qiuyue Nie, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and an author of the study, said in a statement. "This is an unexplored region with tremendous potential." Fungi have long been a source of medicine, perhaps most famously the antibiotic penicillin. This research implies there is more where that came from. "Nature has given us this incredible pharmacy," Sherry Gao, an associate professor at UPenn and the senior author of the study, said in the statement. "It's up to us to uncover its secrets. As engineers, we're excited to keep exploring, learning from nature and using that knowledge to design better solutions." The next step in the process will be to test the newly discovered treatment on animals and then eventually on humans. It will likely still be many years before the treatments can be widely used on people.
Perth Now
26-06-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Ancient Eyptian mummy fungus could be secret to powerful new cancer drug
A deadly fungus once blamed for the legendary 'mummy's curse' in King Tut's tomb could have secret cancer-fighting powers, researchers have claimed. The notorious Aspergillus flavus - responsible for lung infections in tomb explorers, such as those excavating the final resting place of King Tutankhamen's - may be the unlikely saviour in the fight against leukemia. University of Pennsylvania scientists have isolated a new class of molecules—asperigimycins—from the fungus. Two of these compounds, even unmodified, killed leukemia cells in the lab. A third, enhanced with a fatty lipid chain, matched the power of FDA-approved drugs like cytarabine. These molecules block microtubules - the cell's division machinery - bringing rogue cancer cells to a halt. The findings were published in a new study in Nature Chemical Biology on Monday (23.06.25). Sherry Gao - associate professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering and bioengineering at Penn, a senior author on the study - said: "Fungi gave us penicillin. These results show that many more medicines derived from natural products remain to be found.' 'Cancer cells divide uncontrollably. These compounds block the formation of microtubules, which are essential for cell division.' Scientists from UPenn led a multi-university collaboration in the study along with researchers from Rice, Baylor, Washington University and others.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ancient ‘pharaoh's curse' could be used to fight cancer: ‘It's up to us to uncover its secrets'
From curses to cures — an ancient hex might just be modern science's secret to battling leukemia. In the 1920s, archaeologists blamed a string of bizarre deaths following the excavation of King Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt on the 'pharaoh's curse.' Decades later, in the 1970s, it happened again when a group of scientists entered the tomb of Casimir IV in Poland. Out of a team of 12, 10 died within weeks. They didn't know it then, but the tomb contained Aspergillus flavus, a fungus that can cause lung infections. Now, University of Pennsylvania researchers have modified this microbial villain and tapped into its potential as a biomedical hero. Their new study — published this week in the journal Nature Chemical Biology — revealed that Aspergillus flavus could transform into a cancer-fighting agent that rivals traditional medicines approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Their work highlights the ability to rebrand a historically toxic substance into a groundbreaking drug. 'Fungi gave us penicillin,' Sherry Gao, an associate professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering and bioengineering, said in a statement, referring to the world's first successful antibiotic. 'These results show that many more medicines derived from natural products remain to be found,' she added. First study author Qiuyue Nie called it an 'unexplored region with tremendous potential.' Gao's group isolated and purified four RiPPs from Aspergillus flavus, with these molecules showing killer results against leukemia cells. But there are obstacles to greater success. 'Purifying these chemicals is difficult,' Nie said. And while scientists have identified thousands of RiPPs in bacteria, far fewer have been found in fungi. This might be in part because researchers used to confuse them with a different class of molecules and didn't fully understand how fungi produced them. 'The synthesis of these compounds is complicated,' Nie noted. 'But that's also what gives them this remarkable bioactivity,' she continued. The new research confirms that much of our environment and nature are not yet fully understood — and this exploration could benefit contemporary medicine. 'Nature has given us this incredible pharmacy,' Gao said. 'It's up to us to uncover its secrets.'
New York Post
24-06-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Ancient ‘pharaoh's curse' could be used to fight cancer: ‘It's up to us to uncover its secrets'
From curses to cures — an ancient hex might just be modern science's secret to battling leukemia. In the 1920s, archaeologists blamed a string of bizarre deaths following the excavation of King Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt on the 'pharaoh's curse.' 3 British archaeologist Howard Carter and his patron, Lord Carnarvon, made history by entering the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. Getty Images Advertisement Decades later, in the 1970s, it happened again when a group of scientists entered the tomb of Casimir IV in Poland. Out of a team of 12, 10 died within weeks. They didn't know it then, but the tomb contained Aspergillus flavus, a fungus that can cause lung infections. Advertisement Now, University of Pennsylvania researchers have modified this microbial villain and tapped into its potential as a biomedical hero. Their new study — published this week in the journal Nature Chemical Biology — revealed that Aspergillus flavus could transform into a cancer-fighting agent that rivals traditional medicines approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Their work highlights the ability to rebrand a historically toxic substance into a groundbreaking drug. 3 Carter examines King Tut's sarcophagus. AP Advertisement 'Fungi gave us penicillin,' Sherry Gao, an associate professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering and bioengineering, said in a statement, referring to the world's first successful antibiotic. 'These results show that many more medicines derived from natural products remain to be found,' she added. First study author Qiuyue Nie called it an 'unexplored region with tremendous potential.' Advertisement Gao's group isolated and purified four RiPPs from Aspergillus flavus, with these molecules showing killer results against leukemia cells. But there are obstacles to greater success. 'Purifying these chemicals is difficult,' Nie said. And while scientists have identified thousands of RiPPs in bacteria, far fewer have been found in fungi. This might be in part because researchers used to confuse them with a different class of molecules and didn't fully understand how fungi produced them. 'The synthesis of these compounds is complicated,' Nie noted. 3 Mummy in the UK is shown before it goes on display in a centenary exhibition commemorating the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb 100 years ago on Nov. 2, 2022. Getty Images 'But that's also what gives them this remarkable bioactivity,' she continued. Advertisement The new research confirms that much of our environment and nature are not yet fully understood — and this exploration could benefit contemporary medicine. 'Nature has given us this incredible pharmacy,' Gao said. 'It's up to us to uncover its secrets.'
Daily Mirror
24-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'Curse' which killed explorers entering Egyptian tombs could fight cancer
When people died after entering the ancient pyramids for the first time it was blamed on a Pharaoh's Curse or Mummy's Revenge The "Pharaoh's Curse" which killed archaeologists, scientists and explorers who broke into the tombs of ancient kings in Egypt has been transformed into an anti-cancer drug. After archaeologists opened King Tutankhamun's tomb in the 1920s, a series of untimely deaths among the excavation team fuelled rumours of a "pharaoh's curse". A dozen scientists entered the tomb of Casimir IV in Poland In the 1970s but, within weeks, 10 of them died. Decades later, doctors theorised that fungal spores, dormant for millennia, could have played a role. Scientists isolated a new class of molecules from Aspergillus flavus, a toxic crop fungus linked to infamous deaths following the excavations of ancient tombs. Later investigations revealed the tomb contained A. flavus, whose toxins can lead to lung infections, especially in people with compromised immune systems. Now, that same fungus is the unlikely source of a promising new cancer therapy. American scientists modified the chemicals they isolated from A. flavus and tested them against leukaemia cells. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, showed a "promising" cancer-killing compound that rivals already-approved drugs - and opens new frontiers for fungal medicines. Study senior author Professor Sherry Gao, of the University of Pennsylvania, said: 'Fungi gave us penicillin. 'These results show that many more medicines derived from natural products remain to be found.' She explained that the therapy in question is a class of ribosomally synthesised and post-translationally modified peptides, or RiPPs. The name refers to how the compound is produced - by the ribosome, a tiny cellular structure that makes proteins - and the fact that it is modified later to enhance its cancer-killing properties. Study first author Dr Qiuyue Nie said: 'Purifying these chemicals is difficult." She says that while thousands of RiPPs have been identified in bacteria, only a handful have been found in fungi. Dr Nie said that is because researchers previously misidentified fungal RiPPs as non-ribosomal peptides and had little understanding of how fungi created the molecules. She added: 'The synthesis of these compounds is complicated. But that's also what gives them this remarkable bioactivity.' To find more fungal RiPPs, the research team first scanned a dozen strains of Aspergillus, which previous research suggested might contain more of the chemicals. By comparing chemicals produced by these strains with known RiPP building blocks, the researchers identified A. flavus as a "promising" candidate for further study. Genetic analysis pointed to a particular protein in A. flavus as a source of fungal RiPPs. When the researchers turned the genes that create that protein off, the chemical markers indicating the presence of RiPPs also disappeared. They said the new approach - combining metabolic and genetic information - not only pinpointed the source of fungal RiPPs in A. flavus, but could also be used to find more fungal RiPPs in the future. Further experiments suggested that asperigimycins likely disrupt the process of cell division. Prof Gao said: 'Cancer cells divide uncontrollably. These compounds block the formation of microtubules, which are essential for cell division.' She says the compounds had little to no effect on breast, liver or lung cancer cells - or a range of bacteria and fungi - suggesting that asperigimycins' disruptive effects are specific to certain types of cells, a critical feature for any future medication. As well as showing the medical potential of asperigimycins, the research team also identified similar clusters of genes in other fungi, suggesting that more fungal RiPPS remain to be discovered. Dr Nie said: 'Even though only a few have been found, almost all of them have strong bioactivity. This is an unexplored region with tremendous potential.' The researchers say the next step is to test asperigimycins in animal models, with the hope of one day moving to human clinical trials. Prof Gao added: 'Nature has given us this incredible pharmacy. It's up to us to uncover its secrets. As engineers, we're excited to keep exploring, learning from nature and using that knowledge to design better solutions.'
