A Horrific Caterpillar Fungus Might Hold Cancer-Fighting Potential

A deadly pest in caterpillars may very well help fend off cancer in humans. Scientists in the UK have found evidence that a parasitic caterpillar fungus contains a key ingredient that could be used to disrupt the growth of tumor cells.

The fungus is called Cordyceps militaris, and it’s the brightly-colored relative of more infamous fungi known to mind-control its victims. C. militaris itself is regularly used in Chinese traditional medicine, and some research has indicated that a particular compound that the fungus produces—cordycepin—has anti-inflammatory and other properties that could make it valuable in treating cancers. Researchers at the University of Nottingham’s School of Pharmacy say they’ve now gained insight into how cordycepin could be used to attack cancer’s weak spots.

The researchers first analyzed how cordycepin altered the activity of thousands of genes within different lines of cells. Based on this analysis, they determined that the compound mainly works by blocking pathways that govern cell growth. They also found the specific metabolic byproduct that’s likely responsible for this effect, cordycepin triphosphate. This byproduct is similar to the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the “fuel” that cells use to carry out their functions.

The findings, published Thursday in FEBS Letters, suggest that cordycepin or synthetic cousins derived from it could be used to suppress cancer cell growth, the researchers say. The techniques they developed to study the activity of cordycepin in cells could help them and researchers in

“We have been researching the effects of cordycepin on a range of diseases for a number of years and with each step we get closer to understanding how it could be used as an effective treatment,” said study researcher Cornelia de Moor in a statement from the university. “Our data confirms that cordycepin is a good starting point for novel cancer medicines and explains its beneficial effects.”

There are still more mysteries to be solved about cordycepin, the researchers say, such as the actual molecules in a cell that it interacts with to affect growth. But the techniques they developed to study cordycepin in cells could help them and other researchers in the future, since they were able to identify particular genes that were reliably activated by the compound. According to de Moor, this knowledge should make it easier to measure the effect that cordycepin has on a patient’s blood cells, for instance.

Derivatives of cordycepin are also already being tested in human trials as a cancer treatment, with some early promising results. So it might not take long for the horrific-looking C. militaris to become a boon to humanity.