Spongy overtures
a rather innocuous looking sponge could actually pack a lot of arsenal against cancer cells proliferating in human body, researchers have found. A deep water sponge, Discodermia dissoluta , has been discovered by a group of scientists at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Florida, us , to contain a chemical, discodermolide, which stops cancer cells from dividing.
This chemical could be the most effective drug against breast cancer yet, feel the researchers, after undertaking initial tests. It is able to identify breast cancer cells and destroy their framework, preventing further growth.
Michelle Kelly-Borges, a member of the team, stated that experiments are also being conducted on other chemicals procured from a variety of sponges to test their efficacy on other forms of cancer. "Ways of farming these sponges are being investigated to prevent the over-harvesting of these precious animals.'