Like many other types of cancer, leukemia currently has no cure. Although treatments are largely dependent on whether the cancer is slow growing or aggressive, most of the treatments are pretty toxic and, in extreme cases, can even cost the patients their lives. There are several types of leukemia, and researchers from the University of Guelph may have found a way to cure one of the most devastating forms of cancer, acute myeloid leukemia (“AML”).
AML often afflicts people over the age of 65 and has quite a low survival rate; less than 10% of patients live for more than five years once they are diagnosed with the life-threatening condition. According to a new study from the University of Guelph in Canada, a compound found in avocados may offer a safer and more effective treatment for acute myeloid leukemia. For the first time, scientists have identified an enzyme that is crucial for cancer cell growth, and the avocado compound targets and attacks this enzyme, says Dr. Paul Slagnuolo from the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
Called VL-CAD, this enzyme occurs in much higher amounts in leukemia cells. Cancer cells rely on the enzyme to survive, Spagnuolo says, but he and his colleagues found that avocatin B, a compound found in avocados, provides a promising treatment for AML. Avocatin B has the ability to target and destroy cancer cells while ignoring otherwise healthy blood cells, making it more effective and less toxic than other treatments used to alleviate the condition.
Spagnuolo and his team discovered avocatin B while screening nutraceutical compounds to find a compound capable of inhibiting VL-CAD. Consequently, the researchers have partnered with the Center for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (“CCRM”) in Canada to file a patent for using the avocado-derived compound to treat acute myeloid leukemia. However, Spagnuolo and his team acknowledge that it will take several years before avocatin B is used to treat AML in clinical settings.
Despite looking at several years of work before the compound can hit the shelves as a tried and tested treatment, Spagnuolo says this is quite an exciting time for his lab. He and his colleagues are one of few research teams in the world looking into nutraceuticals and applying intense drug-investigation processes to determine how they can be effective. If clinical trials are successful, patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia will finally have a safe and effective means of treatment.
A lot of effort is going into cancer research, which includes myriad issues that need to be addressed. Many different companies, including CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP), are focused on a segment of the broad fight against cancer.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CNSP
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