Research On Antibiotic For Treatment Of Cancer

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29260, 19 July 1960, Page 9

Research On Antibiotic For Treatment Of Cancer

A former member of a Cambridge University research team which investigated the structure of the antibiotic actinomycin, which is giving promising results in the treatment of certain rare fopms of cancer, Dr. A. W. 1 Johnson, now Sir Jasse Boot pro- ’ lessor of organic chemistry at the ■ University of Nottingham, arrived in Christchurch on Saturday. ’ He is visiting New Zealand at ■ the invitation of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry before at- ’ tending the international conferf ence on natural, products in AusL traiia. Most of Dr. Johnson’s work at [ Nottingham University is on the 1 natural products produced by the ’ fermentation of moulds. ! The underlying chemistry has . ■ been developed of an antibiotic ’ actinomycin-D, which is at present being used in the Boston 1 Children’s Hospital for treating ' particular forms of cancerous : i tumours. I Dr. Johnson said that this anti- , biotic was promising in the treat- 1 i ment of these tumours, which • were, fortunately, very rare. i “Very few chemicals are avail- . ■ able for an attack on cancer, but ! . this one seems to give the child- 1

ren a very good chance of complete recovery,” he said. Actinomycin, however, was a very poisonous substance, and had to be administered under most careful control. “We are working on variations of the substance that will be less toxic to ordinary tissue, but will still be effective against cancer cells,” Dr. Johnson said. Dr. Johnson is also directing research work at Nottingham University on the synthesis of vitamin 812, the vital constituent which prevents pernicious anaemia. It is also produced by fermentation methods. Vitamin 812 is used as the standard treatment for pernicious anaemia patients, who- lack sufficient of the substance, Dr. Johnson said. In Europe and the United States, vitamin 812 was also used flor incorporation with poultry and pig food, because it made poultry ■and pigs grow faster. Dr. Johnson will leave by air for Melbourne on Wednesday.