Plants Could Unlock Future Cancer Therapies
Researchers have highlighted the important role that some plants play in the manufacture of cancer drugs and why these new sources and plant resources need to be maintained in an effort to avoid overexploitation. For instance, Kew Gardens researcher Melanie-Jayne Howes stated that a chemical found in the Pacific yew tree was used to develop an anti-cancer drug called paclitaxel, which is effective in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancers. However, the chemical is produced in low volumes, which led to many trees being cut down in order to manufacture these drugs. Now, the Pacific yew tree is classified…