Cause behind King Tutankhamun's 'curse' can 'help fight cancer'

A toxic fungus determined to be behind the "curse" of Tutankhamun's tomb can help fight cancer, scientists believe. The deadly mould, Aspergillus flavus, often grows in long-sealed tombs and can trigger deadly breathing problems or allergic reactions in people with weakened immune systems.

It is thought to be partly responsible for the deaths of several people who entered tombs, including George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, who joined British archaeologist Howard Carter and his team inside the burial chambers. He died in Cairo aged 56. Sir Archibald Douglas Reid, who supposedly X-rayed the mummy, also died mysteriously in 1924, as well as Carter's secretary Richard Bethell, who supposedly died smothered in his bed in 1929. Now, scientists have found that the mould's deadly spores are also lethal to leukaemia and are hoping to begin testing to eventually use it on humans.

"Nature has given us this incredible pharmacy, it's up to us to uncover its secrets," said Dr Sherry Gao, an associate professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, reported The Telegraph.

Aspergillus flavus has the ability to lie dormant for many centuries, becoming active again once disturbed. It is known to grow on cereals, which were often sealed up as grave goods inside tombs.

The curse did not just surround Tutankhamun's tomb. In the 1970s, a dozen conservationists entered the tomb of Casimir IV in Poland, but within weeks, 10 of them had died. Later investigations revealed that the tomb contained Aspergillus flavus.

In the study, scientists studied a dozen strains of Aspergillus to see if they produced anything that might be repurposed as a medicine. They discovered potent cancer-fighting molecules, which have been named asperigimycins. Even with no modification, the asperigimycins showed strong medical potential against blood cancer, leukaemia, cells.

When researchers added a molecule found in bees' royal jelly, the asperigimycins performed as well as cytarabine and daunorubicin, two drugs that have been used for decades to treat leukaemia. Further experimentation also revealed that they seemed to work by disrupting the process of cancer cell division.

"Cancer cells divide uncontrollably," added Dr Gao. "These compounds block the formation of microtubules, which are essential for cell division."

However, the team discovered that the cancer-fighting properties only seem to work on leukaemia and had little to no effect on other cancers, such as breast, liver, or lung cancer. Nevertheless, the researchers identified similar clusters of genes in other fungi, suggesting that more potential drugs from fungi have yet to be discovered.

"Fungi gave us penicillin. These results show that many more medicines derived from natural products remain to be found," Dr Gao said.