Most of us have seen this flower. It’s a common plant to see in parks and even roadside grass patches. But the lesser known fact is that this tiny pink flower plays a vital role in how cancer is treated today.
What is so special about this flower?
This pink flower is commonly known as Sadabahar or Nayantara in India. It originated from Madagascar and is scientifically known as Catharanthus roseus. This plant contains powerful compounds called vincristine and vinblastine which are known to stop the growth of cancer.
Road to discovery
In the 1950s, scientists were initially looking for a cure of diabetes. Dr. Robert Noble, on the suggestion of his brother Dr. Clarke Noble, tested the extracts of the plant on laboratory animals, but the plant showed little to no effect on sugar levels.
Change of plans
Since the plant showed no result in diabetes, the scientists wondered if it could do something with leukemia, which is also cancer related.
Surprisingly the test showed unexpected results which gave a new way to this discovery.
The discovery that changed everything for the better
In 1954, after years of research, a chemist named Dr. Charles Beer joined the research team of Dr. Robert Noble. They successfully isolated the cancer fighting compounds vincristine and vinblastine which became major chemotherapy drugs.
In short, scientists were looking to cure diabetes but accidentally discovered the compounds that changed cancer treatment forever.
~by Supriya Jain
BJMC, 1st Semester
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