Scientist’s daughter sparks idea for a cure for cancer
A new study about how common side effects from antibiotics can attack mitochondria in cancer stem cells was inspired by senior author Michael Lisanti’s daughter, Camilla. “I was having a conversation with Camilla about how to cure cancer and she asked why don’t we just use antibiotics like we do for other illnesses,” Lisanti recalled in a press release. “I knew that antibiotics can affect mitochondria and I’ve been doing a lot of work recently on how important they are to the growth of tumors, but this conversation helped me to make a direct link.”
Five different common antibiotic were used to treat the stem cells in different cancers. Four antibiotics were successful. “This research makes a strong case for opening new trials in humans for using antibiotics to fight cancer,” Lisanti explained. “Many of the drugs we used were extremely effective, there was little or no damage to normal cells and these antibiotics have been in use for decades and are already approved by the FDA for use in humans. However, of course, further studies are needed to validate their efficacy, especially in combination with more conventional therapies.”
