Synthetic Plant Hormones Kill Cancer Cells By Halting DNA Repair

Since there has been more than 1.6 million cancer diagnoses in the United States alone last year, there is a major need for new treatments. Many scientists are trying to uncover new treatments to help all different types of cancer. However, many scientists, like ones from the Department of Human Science at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington D.C., have started to unravel a new way of treating prostate cancer. They have found that synthetic plant hormones MEB55 and ST362, when combined with another cancer drug, halt the DNA repair of multiple types of cancer.

The researchers found that MEB55 and ST362 stopped the DNA repair of cancer cells that occurs before the cell division starts, but after the cells have copied DNA. PARP inhibitors then halt a second DNA repair process, according to the scientists, that then make the cells die.

Unfortunately, it is too early to claim that synthetic plant hormones will be the new cure for cancer, but the Department of Human Science says that they will be testing the hormones animal models with various forms of the disease.
It was very interesting to learn about how plant cells could possibly stop the growth of cancer cells and ultimately kill them. This would be a huge step in the right direction of helping stop the spread of many cancers and even prevent them. It could also be the new source of finding brand new information into ultimately killing all cancer cells and preventing all cancers.