A newly discovered bacterium could help combat certain types of cancer. The discovery was made by Shugeng Cao, a researcher at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center.
Cao, with help from colleagues at UH and Washington University, discovered a bacterium — Lentzea flaviverrucosa — that produces a peptide called petrichorin A.
This peptide is not only safe for humans — but also active against ovarian and prostate cancers and T-cell leukemia.
The discovery highlights the importance of including petrichorin A in future pharmaceutical research.
In a release, Cao says, “If petrichorin A were developed successfully, people in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific would benefit from our drug therapies.”
Cao currently serves as a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at UH Hilo.
