King Tut: Unlocking a cancer cure

On April 28, 1978, Steve Martin released "King Tut" on his album "A Wild and Crazy Guy." The song was previewed on Saturday Night Live on April 22 of the same year. The song hit number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was great advertising for the Tutankhamun Treasures exhibit touring in 7 U.S. cities at the time. Steve Martin is a very talented songwriter and musician. He continues to do a bluegrass arrangement of King Tut with his band the Steep Canyon Rangers. Steve Martin still goes out on comedy and musical tours. He and Martin Short are coming to Indianapolis, Indiana in October. What does a cancer cure have to do with the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun known as King Tut? Since the excavation of the young ruler's tomb, many of the archaeologists who studied his tomb died from the "curse of the pharaohs." A fungus has been linked to the deaths of those scientists in the 1920s. Recently, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a fungus from King Tut's tomb known as Aspergillus flavus. The fungus contains substances capable of treating leukemia (a blood cancer producing abnormal white blood cells). The researchers at Penn found a specific peptide from the fungus, which is active against cancer. It is known as a post-translationally modified peptide (RiPPs).They used these peptides to create a compound capable of killing cancer cells. The researchers were able to isolate 4 different RiPPs with only 2 having anticancer activity. They then modified the structure by adding a lipid or fat entity to the RiPP and improved its anticancer activity by 100-fold. The early research indicates the compound they created enters the cancer cell and keeps it from replicating or reproducing more cancer cells. This action essentially halts the cancer from spreading. The hope is this compound will have less side effects for patients than traditional chemotherapy. The researchers did look to see if this compound would work against more solid tumors such as lung and liver cancer, but its benefits seem to align only with leukemia. However, the scientists are hopeful this provides a backbone for future drugs to treat other cancers. Although King Tut's tomb fungus may provide a new avenue for research, the idea of drugs coming from fungus (mold) is not a new concept. In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered a mold in one of his Petri dishes that was killing bacteria and this led to the discovery of the antibiotic penicillin. An antibiotic still used today! Other antibiotics have also been derived from fungi such as cephalosporins, tetracyclines, and erythromycin. Statin medications such as rosuvastatin (Crestor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor) were derived from a fungus known as Penicillium citrinum. These drugs help reduce cholesterol levels and improve heart health. Lifesaving drugs to help transplant patients maintain their new organs by preventing reject come from the fungus Streptomyces hygroscopicus. Many drugs start from a natural source and then scientists are able to modify the structure or synthesize new drugs to help improve health outcomes. In 2010, the U.S. Congress designated September as Blood Cancer Awareness month and this includes Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness. The goal is to promote awareness of blood cancers and support research to find cures. The last 10 years has seen a substantial improvement in blood cancer survival with some leukemias having a survival rate of 90%. King Tut died in 1323 B.C., but his legacy may include curing certain types of cancer! Karen Kier is a pharmacist with Ohio Northern University HealthWise Pharmacy.