The Calabria group first observed that Bergamot – a fruit grown exclusively in the Italian region—exhibited stati-like properties in published research in 2009.

The progression of that research has discovered that a 2:1 mix of two fruit extracts, Brutieridin and Melitidin, targets and inhibits the cholesterol enzyme HGMR, as effectively as a range of commercial statins.

It furthermore targets CSCs, causing them to stop dividing and die.

“This combination—what we are calling BMF – is targeting mitochondria which are effectively the engine room of cancer cells, cutting off a cancer cell’s ability to generate energy, so it dies,” explains Dr. Marco Fiorillo, who gathered the data for his Ph.D. thesis.

“Clearly, these are natural compounds and non-toxic, so the fact that they are effective in killing the target with no collateral damage, albeit in laboratory test, is very exciting indeed.”

Michael Lisanti, the Professor and Chair of Translational Medicine at the University of Salford, who has previously conducted trials using other Nutraceuticals as cancer therapies, said: “We are interested in particular in natural products because they are accessible, often non-toxic and also relatively inexpensive.

“The idea of natural products as effective drugs is not a surprising one, given the everyday microbial warfare that is waged in the natural world.”