Chilean scientists have invented an ointment that helps fight malignant melanoma, one of the most dangerous types of cancer. Employees of the University of Santiago said that a unique drug was created on the basis of a plant characteristic of the countryside of the continent of South America.
The authors of the project, Sofia Michaelson and Claudio Acuna, said that at the moment the drug is in the testing phase, experts are testing the efficacy of the ointment on animals suffering from melanoma, and so far the research results have been positive. The development of Chilean scientists is aimed at blocking melanocytes that produce melanins. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), annually, malignant cancers on the skin are diagnosed in 2-3 million people in different countries of the world, but a unique Chilean drug will help change this statistics.
Experts say that the ointment should be applied every three days for a month, after which the activity of the malignant tumor is significantly reduced and it can be removed with surgery. In addition, the agent should not entail side effects, since it was created on a natural basis. The main ingredient in the ointment is a shrub that grows in the northern outskirts of the city of Coquimbo and in the south of the administrative region of Bio-Bio.
Elena Razumovskaya