HAZELNUTS are a promising new source of the anticancer drug taxol. First
isolated from the Pacific yew tree, taxol is widely prescribed for breast and
ovarian cancers. But as the number of yews dwindle, new sources are needed,
researchers told the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco
last week.
Angela Hoffman of the University of Portland, Oregon, found the compound not
only in hazelnuts but also in a harmless fungus that grows on the hazelnut. The
fungus produces taxol independently, she says, and both could be milked for
taxol.
