Leukemia: Could Avocados Be The Cure?

Could avocados hold the secret to fighting off deadly leukemia?

New findings published in the journal Cancer Research reveal that fats in avocados may help fight against acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by destroying leukemia stem cells that can quickly worsen if not treated quickly.

Researchers noted that the findings are particularly important as over 90 percent of seniors diagnosed with this disease die within five years. The new findings bring hope for this incredibly deadly type of leukemia with very few drug treatments available.

"The stem cell is really the cell that drives the disease," lead researcher Professor Paul Spagnuolo from the University of Waterloo said in a news release. "The stem cell is largely responsible for the disease developing and it's the reason why so many patients with leukemia relapse. We've performed many rounds of testing to determine how this new drug works at a molecular level and confirmed that it targets stem cells selectively, leaving healthy cells unharmed."

"It's an exciting time for our lab. With the help of CCRM we are now pursuing commercial partnership that would take avocatin B into clinical trials," added Professor Spagnuolo. "Not only does avocatin B eliminate the source of AML, but its targeted, selective effects make it less toxic to the body, too."

Though the drug is still years away from becoming approved for use in oncology clinics, the researchers are already performing experiments to prepare for a Phase I clinical trial.

Though the drug is still years away from use in oncology clinics, the researchers are already performing experiments to prepare the drug for a Phase I clinical trial. In fact, researchers are in the first round of trials in which people diagnosed with AML may have access to the drug.

Furthermore, there are also other potential applications for Avocatin B beyond just oncology.

"Extracts are less refined. The contents of an extract can vary from plant to plant and year to year, depending on lots of factors -- on the soil, the location, the amount of sunlight, the rain," concluded Spagnuolo. "Evaluating a nutraceutical as a potential clinical drug requires in-depth evaluation at the molecular level. This approach provides a clearer understanding of how the nutraceutical works, and it means we can reproduce the effects more accurately and consistently. This is critical to safely translating our lab work into a reliable drug that could be used in oncology clinics."

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