The lawyer would have anticarcinogenic virtues. Researchers have identified a molecule capable of fighting acute myeloid leukemia.
A study Canadian published in Cancer Research reveals that avocado contains molecules that could fight acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a very aggressive blood cancer for which treatment should be started as soon as possible.
Prof. Paul Spagnuolo, from the University of Waterloo, in collaboration with Mount Sinai Hospital (New York) and the University of Perugia (Italy), discovered that a lipid, called Avocatin B, would be able to block the overgrowth of abnormal stem cells invading the bone marrow.
Less toxic
“Stem cells are largely responsible for the progression of the disease, and they are also the cause of relapses,” explains the researcher. We have carried out numerous tests to understand how this molecule works and to confirm that it specifically targets tumor cells and spares healthy cells ”. Moreover, “by destroying only the source of the disease, Avocatin B is less toxic for the body”, adds Paul Spagnuolo.
In partnership with the Center for the Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCMR) in Toronto, the researchers are carrying out further experiments to conduct Phase 1 clinical trials very soon.
In France, acute myeloid leukemia affects around 3,500 people each year. In the majority of cases, the origin of the disease is not known and occurs in healthy people. However, there are risk factors such as exposure to radiation or chemicals, chemotherapy treatments.
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