June 26, 2025

When archaeologists opened King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt in the 1920s, the unexpected deaths among members of the excavation team that followed sparked rumors of a “pharaoh’s curse.” Decades later, doctors speculated that fungal spores may have contributed to those deaths. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found a new way to harness that fungus: using it to treat leukemia. Detailing their findings in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, the scientists isolated a new class of molecules from Aspergillus flavus, a toxic crop fungus linked to infamous deaths following the excavations of ancient tombs. After the chemicals were modified, the resulting compound showed “promising” cancer-killing properties that rivaled FDA-approved drugs when tested against leukemia cells, according to a press release, opening new frontiers for fungal medicines. “Nature has given us this incredible pharmacy,” senior author Sherry Gao said. “It’s up to us to uncover its secrets. As engineers, we’re excited to keep exploring, learning from nature, and using that knowledge to design better solutions.”