The tobacco plant’s natural defence mechanisms could be harnessed to kill cancer cells in the human body.
Scientists have identified a molecule in the flower of the plant that usually fights off fungi and bacteria - and were stunned to find it also has the ability to identify and destroy cancer. Called NaD1, it works by forming a pincer-like structure that grips onto lipids present in the membrane of cancer cells and rips themopen, causing the cell to expel its contents and explode.
