Cellular origami for a cancer cure

The first successful synthesis of an antibiotic with antitumour properties has been achieved by UK researchers. Alan Armstrong and James Scutt from Imperial College, London, have made belactosin A: a recently isolated natural product that is known to affect the activity of an enzyme called 20S proteasome. Responsible for destroying badly folded proteins, 20S proteasome is a key target in treatments for cancer and auto-immune disorders. It is hoped that this new synthetic methodology can be adapted to make more analogues of belactosin A. The mode of action of this interesting natural product can then be probed. By learning the ’precise role of belactosin A in various cellular processes’, Armstrong and Scutt hope that they can then develop new anticancer drugs.

Steven Evans