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Engineers turn toxic ancient tomb fungus into anti-cancer drug
- On June 23, 2025, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania published a study about turning the toxic fungus Aspergillus flavus into a leukemia treatment.
- The team modified chemicals from A. flavus, which was once linked to deaths during King Tutankhamun's tomb excavation in the 1920s, to create cancer-fighting compounds.
- They isolated four asperigimycin variants, two of which showed potent effects against leukemia cells, with a lipid-modified variant performing as well as FDA-approved drugs cytarabine and daunorubicin.
- Co-Author Sherry Gao highlighted the vast potential of natural sources for drug discovery, while postdoctoral fellow Qiuyue Nie described the gene as a crucial entry point that facilitates the uptake of medicines into cells.
- Researchers intend to evaluate asperigimycins in preclinical animal studies and aim to advance towards formal human clinical trials, underscoring new opportunities for medications derived from fungi.
33 Articles
33 Articles
A team of scientists modified and tested fungo molecules associated with the deaths of several archeologists involved in the discovery of Tutankhamon's mummie. The result was a compound against cancer.
FOX 28 Spokane
‘Pharaoh’s Curse’ fungus transformed into anti-cancer drug
By Stephen Beech The "Pharaoh's Curse" fungus has been transformed into an anti-cancer drug. Scientists isolated a new class of molecules from Aspergillus flavus, a toxic crop fungus linked to infamous deaths following the excavations of ancient tombs. After archaeologists opened King Tutankhamun’s tomb in the 1920s, a series of untimely deaths among the excavation
Science Daily
ecotopical.comFrom cursed tomb fungus to cancer cure: Aspergillus flavus yields potent new drug
In a remarkable twist of science, researchers have transformed a fungus long associated with death into a potential weapon against cancer. Found in tombs like that of King Tut, Aspergillus flavus was once feared for its deadly spores. Now, scientists at Penn and several partner institutions have extracted a new class of molecules from it—called asperigimycins—that show powerful effects against leukemia cells. These compounds, part of a rare grou…
Researchers turn a deadly fungus into potent cancer-fighting compound
Penn-led researchers have turned a deadly fungus into a potent cancer-fighting compound. After isolating a new class of molecules from Aspergillus flavus, a toxic crop fungus linked to deaths in the excavations of ancient tombs, the researchers modified the chemicals and tested them against leukemia cells.
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