If we can use these safe, natural compounds to treat neuroblastoma, patients won’t have to be treated with chemotherapy and suffer its harsh side effects.

It will give further hope for a better quality of life to young cancer survivors.

Green tea catechins and red pepper capsaicin are natural compounds that have been shown to suppress the growth of cancer cells. Researchers have recently found that a combination of catechins and capsaicin is highly toxic to neuroblastoma cells.

What we did

Our funding enabled researchers to further assess the effects of combinations of green tea catechins and red pepper capsaicin on neuroblastoma cells.

The potential impact

The research could lead to a clear understanding of how these compounds interfere with molecules required for the growth and survival of cancer cells, but not of normal cells.

It conjures up the exciting possibility of children with cancer being treated with green tea instead of toxic chemotherapeutic drugs.

We hope that this approach will lead the way to a new sort of treatment for children with neuroblastoma and other forms of pediatric cancer.

Location

UCL Institute of Child Health, London

Cost

£161,536 over 36 months

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