Mirror-Image Amino Acid Shows Promise in Starving Cancer Cells
Most existing cancer treatments not only attack cancer cells but also adversely impact healthy body cells. The resultant damage to healthy tissues usually triggers side effects that often become severe, necessitating discontinuation of therapy or making quality of life worse. Scientists have been looking for better treatments that only impact malignant cells and leave healthy cells unaffected. A new preclinical study documents one such discovery leveraging the use of a mirror-image molecule. The study, conducted by a team based at Marburg University and University of Geneva, created a molecule similar to a naturally occurring amino acid referred to as cysteine. It contains sulfur within its composition. The researchers found that some cancers have a transporter on their…
