Antarctic Fungi could make leukemia meds cheaper
(WorldNews India)

PANAJI: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IITH) and National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, have discovered a fungus in the sub-zero climes of the Antarctic region which could offer a breakthrough in the treatment of a cancer that predominantly affects children. Researchers identified the moss which grows around the lakes near the Indian research station Maitri. Samples of the moss were used to isolate the L-Asparaginase enzyme, which can produce a drug to treat Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). If commercialized, this would offer a cheaper drug with fewer side effects than the drugs currently being used to treat ALL. ALL is a type of blood...