Can a spoonful of sugar treat cancer?

In the UK, a leading Yorkshire scientist is trying to develop new drugs by synthesizing different forms of the special sugars found in cancer cells. Now, with support from the Association for International Cancer Research, Robert Falconer will be using his discovery to search for new molecules to stop disease spread.

Dr Falconer, a lecturer in medicinal chemistry based in the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics at the University of Bradford, explains: "on the surface of cancer cells there is a long molecule, called polysialic acid, which is made up of about 200 identical simple sugars linked together."

He added: "polysialic acid has been found on the surface of a number of different human cancers. When these cancer cells start to spread, they appear to get more polysialic acid on their surface. We believe that this helps these cells 'unstick' from their neighbouring cells, so they can start invading the surrounding tissues and moving away from the original tumor."