A deadly fungus, once blamed for the so-called ‘Pharaoh’s curse’ for its ability to trigger severe respiratory issues in people with weakened immune systems, may result in a life-saving medicine in the move towards finding a cure for cancer.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a promising compound produced by Aspergillus flavus, which rivals traditionally FDA-approved drugs in a way that could revolutionise cancer treatment.
A. flavus, a toxic crop fungus, has long been associated with the mysterious deaths of archaeologists who attempted to excavate the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs, such as Tutankhamun, and a 15th-century Polish monarch, King Casimir IV, gaining notoriety over its toxicity. However, in a remarkable scientific feat, scientists have identified that the deadly fungus contains a cancer-killing compound.
A new class of molecules called asperigimycins i.e. compounds that are classified under a rare type of ribosomally synthesised and post-translationally modified peptides (also known as RiPPs), demonstrated potent anti-cancer properties.
RiPPS are common in bacteria but almost unheard of in fungi, making this discovery doubly significant. “The synthesis of these compounds is complicated,” says Qiuyue Nie, a postdoctoral fellow in CBE and the first author of the research paper published on June 23, 2025, in the scientific journal Nature Chemical Biology. “But that’s also what gives them this remarkable bioactivity.”
Four variants of asperigimycins were identified, purified, and separated. Later, while conducting testing in the lab, these compounds demonstrated medical potential, with two of the four resulting in potent effects on leukaemia cells when mixed with human cancer cells, even without modifications.
A third variant performed even better when a lipid, or a fatty molecule, was added to it, rivaling standard chemotherapy drugs like cytarabine and daunorubicin.
Through further research, scientists report that asperigimycins likely disrupt the process of cell division, an uncontrollable characteristic associated with cancer cells. “Cancer cells divide uncontrollably,” says Sherry Gao, Presidential Penn Compact Associate Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) and in Bioengineering (BE) and senior author of the new paper. “These compounds block the formation of microtubules, which are essential for cell division.”
Interestingly, asperigimycins had little to no effect on breast, liver, or lung cancer cells, suggesting that the compound’s interfering effects are specific to a certain type of cell, namely leukaemia, providing a point of critique to this potential new drug.
The next phase of the research will involve animal testing, with clinical trials on humans expected to follow if results remain as promising as their current potential. Scientists have also discovered similar gene clusters in other fungi, which suggests that more fungal RiPPs remain to be discovered.
Over a century after Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered to unfortunate demise, the narrative surrounding its dark legacy may shift from death and mystery to the beginning of a new era of cancer treatment and prevention.