Deep Sea Discovery Could Cure Cancer
ORLANDO, Fla. — A recent discovery in a part of the Atlantic that’s so deep, sunlight can’t even reach it, may hold the key to critical cancer breakthroughs.
“We discovered 100 miles of deepwater coral reefs that we didn’t know were there,” said John Reed, a researcher at Harbor Branch.
The discovery was made just off of Florida’s coast.
Researchers are retrieving samples that they claim may unlock secrets to battling deadly diseases.
“Why does this deepwater sponge like this one make a compound that could cure human cancer? It’s mind boggling,” said Reed.
After the samples are gathered, they’re pulverized in a blender to figure out what they’re really made of.
“It’s dark and it’s cold and it’s high pressure, so they make different compounds than those in shallow water,” said researcher Dr. Amy Wright. “Most of our work is in cancer, so we’re looking for treatments for cancer.”
Wright believes creatures of the deep could bring answers that have eluded scientists up until now.
“We think maybe they’ll block the spread of the tumor or that maybe once the tumor has spread they’ll attack those cells preferentially,” said Wright.
Researchers then work to reproduce the same deep water ingredients artificially in labs to make the same combinations that show success in testing. One such lab is the Burnham Institute in Orlando.
“They’ve made one of our compounds, and they can make a lot of that compound in the lab so we never have to go back and recollect that sponge,” said Wright. “I would like to think maybe in the next decade some of these compounds would actually start to really move forward and be available for treatment.”
Researchers are also looking for possible treatments for West Nile virus, maleria and other tropical diseases.
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