Thursday, May 13, 2021
Queen’s University expert John Allingham (Biology) is available to provide an update on research into an unusual toxin found in marine sponges that can block cancer cells from metastasizing.
The toxin, mycalolide B, is found in sponges that live on the ocean floor off the coast of Japan.
“Unfortunately, the scarcity and complexity of this toxin made it too difficult to be used clinically as a cancer therapy” says Dr. Allingham. “In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), these researchers show that a simplified synthetic version of this marine toxin stops the spread of cancer cells and can be made in large quantities.”
The next plan is to optimize these molecules to target specific cancer types and to test them as new cancer therapies.
To arrange an interview, please contact communications officer Julie Brown ( 343-363-2763 or Julie.brown@queensu.ca) at Queen’s University News and Media Services Department in Kingston, Ont., Canada.
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