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You must have seen a movie where a group of archeologists and explorers stumble across a secret room of a pyramid and unleash a deadly secret. In one such film, The Mummy starring Tom Cruise, An ancient Egyptian princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension. Similar to the plot, although a bit less dramatic, in the 1920s, a group of archaeologists went on an expedition to King Tutankhamun’s tomb near Luxor, Egypt; some of these scientists died mysteriously. Later in the 1970s, a dozen scientists entered the tomb of Casimir IV in Poland. Within only a couple of weeks, 10 of the researchers died. A probe followed and it was revealed that the cause of the death was a fungus, Aspergillus flavus, which later became famous as the ‘Pharaoh's Curse’, that had been dormant all these years and was only activated once it came in contact with the scientists.
A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania claim that the deadly fungus can be a huge breakthrough in the fight against cancer. Aspergillus flavus, which has been linked to many deaths during the excavations of ancient tombs, is often called "pharaoh's curse fungus". The findings, published on June 23 in the journal Nature Chemical Biology made a bold claim that the fungi contains a cancer-killing compound.
The researchers isolated a new class of molecules from the fungus and manipulated the chemicals to test them against leukaemia cells. The results were pleasantly surprising. They purified four different ribosomally synthesised and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) and found potent cancer-fighting molecules, which they named ‘Asperigimycins’.The asperigimycins showed strong medical potential against leukaemia cells, even without tampering. Asperigimycins seemed to work by disrupting the process of cancer cell division.
"Fungi gave us penicillin," says , Presidential Penn Compact Associate Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) and in Bioengineering (BE) and senior author of the paper. "These results show that many more medicines derived from natural products remain to be found. Cancer cells divide uncontrollably. These compounds block the formation of microtubules, which are essential for cell division," Gao added.
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Aspergillus flavus is an isolated mold species found in agriculture and medicine. Commonly found in soil, it infects agricultural crops. This particular fungi is known to be very toxic and may even lead to lung infections, especially in those with weaker immune systems. Aspergillus flavus has deadly yellow pores that make it a microbial menace. Scientists found out that the fungus may have survived on cereals, which are usually kept in the tombs as religious offerings. Hence, it was also linked to the deaths of people who entered tombs, including Tutankhamun in 1923, as studies later discovered that Aspergillus flavus becomes active once it gets disturbed; otherwise, it can remain dormant for centuries.
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The journey of the ‘Pharaoh's Curse’ from a deadly fungus to a potential cure for cancer is an intriguing one and tells you why we should never stop looking for answers, even for the questions we don;t know exist yet. The discovery also highlights how the relationship of nature and humans can evolve with time as something so deadly can be turned into a magic cure. As the scientists gradually move towards clinic trials of the drug, the world waits with a bated breath.
