Developments in drugs to fight cancer
Scientists at Norwich Research Park are discovering new drugs that could be used in the treatment of cancer.
The development of new anti-cancer drugs is a major challenge facing the research community. At Norwich Research Park, scientists are harnessing the complex machinery used by plants to produce biologically active natural products. For example, they are studying a plant, the Madagascar periwinkle, which also produces the drug vincristine to understand how it could produce new and improved drugs.
For clinical use, drugs need to be both effective and safe. Studies in Norwich have shown that tadpoles from the South African toad, Xenopus laevis, are a useful tool for testing potential new treatments for skin cancer.
At a recent talk, Prof Rob Field from the Department of Biological Chemistry at the John Innes Centre explained the discoveries that had been made in developing anti-cancer drugs. The presentations can be viewed online.
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