From
Medical News Today:
Altered forms of
MDMA (Ecstasy) which are 100 times better at destroying cancer cells could be used to effectively treat patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, according to an article in Investigational New Drugs. The authors, from the University of Birmingham, UK, explained that while Ecstasy is already known to have anti-cancer qualities, these modified forms of the drug are 100 times more powerful.
Scientists at the same research department at the University of Birmingham had already discovered that certain psychotropic drugs, such as Ecstasy, some antidepressants and weight-loss pills were effective in suppressing the development of white blood cancer cells.
The problem was that in order for those drugs to have any significant effect on cancer patients, the dosage would have to be so high that it would kill them. Hence, the researchers have spent the last six years trying to separate and isolate their cancer-busting properties so that patients could be spared being given the toxic ingredients. They worked with scientists from the University of Western Australia.
The Australian scientists created the new, modified compounds.
The British researchers found that these modified compounds were 100 times more powerful at combating cancer cells than Ecstasy. They say they also now understand the mechanism behind them.
The modified forms of MDMA have not been tested on animals yet, because of the toxic effects they have on the brain and nervous system. In this study, the scientists added various molecular groups to the drug and then tested the MDMA analogues against B cell lymphoma cells (Burkitt's lymphoma), and then against other B-cell lymphomas. They were able to observe how the compounds destroyed the cancer cells. Initially, their compounds were found to be 10 times as effective as MDMA. After adding other related compounds the effectiveness rose to 100 times more powerful than Ecstasy.
The scientists plan to progress to pre-clinical studies soon.