Garlic linked to cancer cure

Mail on Sunday Jan 4, 2004

SCIENTISTS have found a way to target cancerous tumours using the chemical that gives garlic its distinctive taste and smell. Allicin has been known to kill disease-causing microbes and cancers for centuries. It also attacks healthy cells, but eating garlic does no harm because allicin quickly breaks down once ingested.

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute in Israel programmed an antibody to hunt down and attach to cancerous cells. The antibody also carries an enzyme which reacts to create allicin and destroy the cancer without harming healthy cells. Professor David Mirelman, who led the project, said the chemical could work with the 'pinpoint accuracy of a Smart bomb'to destroy cancers.

So far the research has only been carried out on mice. But Prof Mirelman said: 'The technique could prove invaluable for preventing cancerous cells following surgery.'

Dr Richard Sullivan of Cancer Research UK welcomed the study but said 'This is very exciting science but it's a while to go before we are going to create treatments from it.'