‘Frog spawn molecule’ may provide cancer treatment

A synthetic drug which is based on a molecule found in frogs’ eggs could provide a new cancer treatment, researchers have said.

Scientists at the University of Bath have been working on a molecule called Amphinase, which is a synthetic version of an enzyme found in the egg cells of the Northern Leopard frog.

The molecule is able to recognise and bind to the surface of tumour cells, before invading the cells and breaking up their genetic material.

Professor Ravi Acharya, a researcher in the university’s biology and biochemistry department, said that the molecule was “very exciting”, particularly for its potential to treat brain tumours.

“It is highly specific at hunting and destroying tumour cells, is easily synthesised in the laboratory and offers great hope as a therapeutic treatment of the future,” the professor said.

The research is published in the Journal of Molecular Biology and the researchers note that, although a cancer treatment will not be ready for several years, the early data is “promising”.