Wild mushrooms may be developed into anti-cancer drugs
Seemingly ordinary macrofungi, that is, wild mushrooms commonly parasitic on tree trunks, may actually be developed into antibacterial and even anti-cancer drugs.
A research team composed of four lecturers and their students from the School of Chemical and Life Sciences at Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore has, over the past two years, classified and studied more than 400 species of local wild mushrooms, and found that two of them contain anti-cancer compounds and 30 contain antibacterial compounds.
At present, they have successfully identified the chemical structure of one wild mushroom with anti-cancer properties, and confirmed that its chemical structure can effectively cause programmed cell death (PCD), also known as apoptosis, in 7 types of cancer cells including liver tumours, breast cancer and cervical cancer. In other words, researchers may in future be able to develop this local wild mushroom, collected in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, into an anti-cancer drug.
Will apply for a patent for the new discovery
Dr Li Wenjian, Director of the School of Chemical and Life Sciences, said at a press conference yesterday that the polytechnic will apply for a patent for this new discovery within the next few weeks. Since the school was established in 2001, it has obtained patents for two research achievements.
The research team began its research work in February 2005. With the approval of the National Parks Board, they went to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and other major parks to collect a large number of wild mushroom specimens, classified them, and then cultivated them in the laboratory. Of the more than 400 species collected, 45% were suitable for growing in the laboratory, and therefore became the focus of the research team's drug development.
Dr Li Wenjian said: "We have only completed the first stage of the research and already have such surprising findings. This shows that we no longer need to look to places like the Amazon or Tibet to seek raw materials for pharmaceuticals. Singapore also harbours many new biological species waiting to be discovered. We must have more knowledge and understanding of our own local ecological environment."
Dr Li Wenjian felt quite proud of this new discovery. He said: "People generally think that only research centres like those of A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore) can produce good research, but we should not overlook the research capabilities of polytechnics either. The findings at this stage are only a start, and we expect to obtain multiple patents from this research work."