Certain antibiotics were found to have an effect on breast cancer cells. Picture: Garvan Institute. Picture: Institute Garvan Source: Supplied
A YOUNG girl may have accidentally come up with a cure for cancer while talking to her parents over the dinner table.
Camilia Lisanti, who is the daughter of a husband and wife cancer research team in Manchester, suggested using antibiotics as a potential cure for cancer.
Her father, Michael — a cancer research scientist — asked her how she would cure cancer, and she paused before proving a simple answer.
Camilia suggested using antibiotics “like when I have a sore throat” which gave her scientist parents an idea.
Professor Lisanti and his wife Federica Sotgia began to test her theory but were shocked when they actually found various cheap and widely used antibiotics did destroy cancerous cells, The Independent reported.
The researchers found that certain antibiotics could stop cancer cells making mitochondria, which feeds the cells.
They then tested common antibiotics on cancer stem cells from breast, prostate, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, skin and brain tumours and found it had an effect.
Professor Lisanti said the discovery showed cheap antibiotics could help destroy the cancer cells while having no effect on healthy cells.
However he said the theory had not yet been tested on people.
Originally published as Table talk: Did this kid just cure cancer?