By Sean Henahan, Access Excellence

Burnaby, BC, CANADA (Nov. 22, 1996) Researchers have found a surprising new source of potential disease-fighting agents in the form of chemical released by nematodes.

There are believed to be as many species of nematodes as there are insects. nematodes, also known as roundworms, are thin and worm-like; most are microscopic. Research involing the use of nematodes to control insect pests led to the surprising discovery of the new compounds.

When applied as insect-control agents, some nematodes act like hypodermic needles, injecting killer-bacteria into the host. A team of researchers at Simon Fraser University have shown that these killer-bacteria create waste products which are toxic to fungi and other species of bacteria.

The team proceeded to identify the chemical composition of some of these waste products and explore their potential uses as antibiotics and anti-cancer agents.

In preliminary laboratory studies these waste products, now called "xenorxides" proved more effective against several strains of human cancer cells including those associated with particular leukemias, prostate, lung and breast cancer than some traditional anti-cancer drugs

In other tests the novel compounds have proven effective in destroying the bacteria associated with tuberculosis and some highly infectious drug-resistant staphylococcus infections.

Based on these promising early results, scientists at the British Columbia Cancer Agency are currently testing the xenorxides in rodents to assess their cancer-killing effectiveness in living organisms. Another organization is testing related substances as a drug treatment for tuberculosis.

The growing problem of drug-resistant bacterial strains lends added significance to the research. "The chemical compositions of these substances are very different from those of existing drugs such as penicillin," says Dr. John Webster of SFU's department of biological sciences. "Consequently, they may prove, one day, to be particularly potent medicinal weapons."