Lipid Found in Avocados May Lead to New Leukemia Treatment

Former Total NutriCare CEO Mohsen “Max” Motamedian graduated from the California State University, Long Beach with a bachelor of science in engineering and biomedics. Biomedical professionals like Mohsen Motamedian keep abreast of new discoveries in the field, such as recent studies revealing that avocados may contain cancer-fighting properties.

New research from bioengineering professionals at the University of Waterloo in Canada reveals that avocados contain properties that may effectively treat active myeloid leukemia (AML), a devastating form of cancer. AML leads to fatal health complications for 90 percent of seniors over the age of 65 and death may occur within five years of diagnosis.

The cancer-fighting properties of avocados are found in the form of lipids, hydrocarbon-containing molecules that include most non-protein-based cell membranes. Named avocatin B, these lipids help treat AML by targeting the leukemia stem cells that cause the disease. Further, rounds of testing performed by Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy demonstrated that the lipids targeted stem cells selectively and left unhealthy cells unharmed.

In light of the new discovery, the research team formed a partnership with the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine. Together, they plan to file a patent application for use of avocatin B to treat AML. Due to the limited availability of treatments that selectively target leukemia stem cells, the team considers the discovery an enormous leap forward in cancer research. Although the drug still requires approval for use in oncology clinics, the Waterloo team is preparing the drug for its first round of Phase I clinical trials.