'Turmerin may be cure for cancer'

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">MYSORE: After seven years of research, scientists at the Adichunchanagiri Bio-technology and Cancer Research Institute (ABCRI) have finally been successful in extracting a water soluble antioxidant from turmeric which is believed to cure and prevent cancer. <br /><br />Disclosing this to <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">The Times Of India</span> Dr.Leela Srinivas, head of ABCRI and a bio-chemistry and nutrition scientist, said this is for the first time in the world she and her colleagues have succeeded in isolating a bio-chemical - “turmerin� - a water soluble antioxidant from turmeric (curcuma longa). <br /><br />“The novelty of this antioxidant is that it is a protein which is non-toxic even in “nano molar doses� (at microgram levels) whereas the other chemical antioxidants and even curcumin, the colour compound in turmeric, are toxic and lead to forced tumours in body parts� she added. The ''turmerin''has also anti-venom qualities, she added.<br /><br />For this invention, ABCRI won an award of $ 55,000 from the National Cancer Institute, USA, the biggest federally funded cluster of health research institutes.<br /><br />According to ABCRI scientists, it is the only institute from India to get this award under Rapid Access to Preventive Intervention Development (RAPID), an innovative programme of NCI. The Institute will now have to extract about four grams of the bio-chemical and hand it over to the NCI for clinical trials. “The important feature of this award is that intellectual property and patenting rights will remain with ABCRI,� Leela said.</div> </div>