Compound linked to possible brain cancer treatment is named after Bohol

A compound linked to a possible treatment for brain cancer has been named after the island of Bohol.

In an article published in the Journal of Natural Products, a study identified a new cytotoxin which can target glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an aggressive type of brain cancer.

Called Boholamide A, the compound was isolated from a bacterial strain extracted from the mollusk Truncatella sp. found in the Philippine island.

"We’ve done drug discovery in other organisms and did field work in other countries but there’s so much more species diversity in the Philippines than most places that we’ve gone to," said Joshua Torres of the University of Utah, one of the study's authors.

The Filipino scientist said they named the compound after Bohol to thank the local government and the people of the province for supporting their work.

"They did not just allow us access to the rich marine biodiversity of the island but the Boholano fishermen have always been our partners in all of our field work in Bohol," he told GMA News Online in an email interview.

Torres said mollusks harbor unique bacteria, a huge resource for novel molecules which can potentially be used as drugs or drug leads.

"In solid tumors such as glioblastoma, they tend to create a hypoxic environment (low oxygen state) in which the standard drug loses potency thereby evading the drug and becoming resistant to it," Torres said.

The Boholamide A is promising because it is found to be 3.6 times more potent in killing cancer cells under low oxygen conditions compared to standard drugs.

With the discovery of Boholamide A, researchers could be one step closer to designing better drugs for brain cancer. Treated with standard drugs, the current median survival for GBM patients is around 14 months. --MGP, GMA News