Novel anti-cancer compounds called Enigmols suppress the growth of human cell lines representing cancers of the prostate, breast, colon, ovary, pancreas, brain and blood, and reduce tumors in three animal studies, new research shows. In addition, Enigmols did not show side effects at effective doses, according to the research conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University and Wayne State University. The studies were funded by the National Cancer Institute. “Many agents suppress cancer cells in a Petri dish and then not in the whole animal, or have unacceptably high toxicity for normal tissues,” said Georgia Tech Professor of Biology Al Merrill. “Finding that Enigmols are effective in three animal models leads us to hope these may be a new approach to treat cancer.” However, human trials must still be done to determine safety and efficacy in people, the researchers cautioned. The findings will be presented by Georgia Tech postdoctoral researcher Qiong Peng on April 19 in a “late-breaking” poster at the American Association for Cancer Research 96th Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. After considering comments from other scientists at the meeting, the researchers plan to submit the results to a scientific journal in coming weeks.
