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Scientists discover cancer-fighting berry on tree that only grows in Far North Queensland
By Jessica van Vonderen
Updated 59 minutes agoTue 7 Oct 2014, 9:54pm
PHOTO: A dog called Oscar pre-treatment with the berry compound (L) and 15 days after treatment (R).
(Supplied: QIMR Berghofer Medical Institute)
VIDEO: Small Qld berries offer big hope for new cancer treatment (7pm TV News QLD)RELATED STORY: Drug found to stop bowel cancer growth in 80pc of cases
MAP: Brisbane 4000
PHOTO: The EBC-46 drug was derived from a berry that grows on the blushwood tree.(Supplied: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute)
"The surprising thing for us and the thing that we don't see very often is the speed with which this occurs," Dr Boyle said.
"Usually when you treat a tumour it takes several weeks for it to resolve, but this is very, very rapid.
"There's a purpling of the area, of the tumour itself, and you see that within five minutes and you come back the next day and the tumour's black and you come back a few days later and the tumour's fallen off."
The berry grows on the blushwood tree, which only grows in pockets of Far North Queensland.
"The tree is very, very picky on where it will grow," Dr Boyle said.
"It's only on the Atherton Tablelands at the moment and they're trying to expand that to different places of course because it'd be nice to be able to grow it on a farm somewhere.
VIDEO: Small Qld berries offer big hope for new cancer treatment (7pm TV News QLD)
Dr Boyle said the findings of the pre-clinical trials suggested the drug could be effective in human patients.
But Dr Boyle warned the drug could only be used for tumours that can be accessed by direct injection and was not effective against metastatic cancers.
He said it would be an additional treatment option, rather than a replacement for chemotherapy or surgery.
"Elderly patients for example who just can't go through another round of chemo or can't go through another general anaesthetic for example, this could be used to treat those sorts of tumours and hopefully improve quality of life for people," he said.
Biotechnology company QBiotics has obtained ethical approval to begin human trials.
Scientists discover cancer-fighting berry on tree that only grows in Far North Queensland - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
By Jessica van Vonderen
Updated 59 minutes agoTue 7 Oct 2014, 9:54pm
(Supplied: QIMR Berghofer Medical Institute)
VIDEO: Small Qld berries offer big hope for new cancer treatment (7pm TV News QLD)RELATED STORY: Drug found to stop bowel cancer growth in 80pc of cases
MAP: Brisbane 4000
"The surprising thing for us and the thing that we don't see very often is the speed with which this occurs," Dr Boyle said.
"Usually when you treat a tumour it takes several weeks for it to resolve, but this is very, very rapid.
"There's a purpling of the area, of the tumour itself, and you see that within five minutes and you come back the next day and the tumour's black and you come back a few days later and the tumour's fallen off."
The berry grows on the blushwood tree, which only grows in pockets of Far North Queensland.
"The tree is very, very picky on where it will grow," Dr Boyle said.
"It's only on the Atherton Tablelands at the moment and they're trying to expand that to different places of course because it'd be nice to be able to grow it on a farm somewhere.
VIDEO: Small Qld berries offer big hope for new cancer treatment (7pm TV News QLD)
Dr Boyle said the findings of the pre-clinical trials suggested the drug could be effective in human patients.
But Dr Boyle warned the drug could only be used for tumours that can be accessed by direct injection and was not effective against metastatic cancers.
He said it would be an additional treatment option, rather than a replacement for chemotherapy or surgery.
"Elderly patients for example who just can't go through another round of chemo or can't go through another general anaesthetic for example, this could be used to treat those sorts of tumours and hopefully improve quality of life for people," he said.
Biotechnology company QBiotics has obtained ethical approval to begin human trials.
Scientists discover cancer-fighting berry on tree that only grows in Far North Queensland - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
