A new clinical study has been released linking BCM-95 as a possible treatment for some forms of chemotherapy resistance. BCM-95 is an extremely potent form of turmeric extract. The study found positive results when treating people with pancreatic cancer that was chemo-resistant.
“One of the challenges with pancreatic cancer is that not only is it a lethal disease, most patients who are treated with chemotherapy often quickly develop resistance to such treatments,” said Ajay Goel, Ph.D., researcher at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
The mouse model was done on normal and chemo-resistant cell cultures. The study measured the ability of the turmeric to inhibit self-renewal.
Researchers found that the turmeric extract minimized the genes which cause “stemness,” or self-renewal and differentiation. Chemotherapy stemness was also prevented.
The researchers noted that the extract helped to re-sensitize the cancer cells so that they were able to use the chemotherapy drug. The results led to the tumors in the subjects’ bodies shrinking.
The study shows multiple layers of effectiveness. The extract, derived from a natural source, helped common treatment, such as Gemcitabine, be able to respond to anti-stem cell and anti-cancer cell properties
“Such chemo-resistance is frequently due to the cancer stem cells that are spared by chemotherapy, as once the chemo is stopped; these cancer stem cells grow and multiply faster to form recurrent cancer. Finding safe, natural and effective compounds that can target cancer stem cells and help overcome chemo-resistance is very important, and this was demonstrated in this study. We provided multiple layers of evidence demonstrating how curcumin affects pancreatic cancer, and showed that cells that have become resistant to the standard of care chemotherapy, such as Gemcitabine, significantly respond to anti-cancer and anti-stem cell properties of a high-absorption curcumin preparation,” states Ajay Goel.
BCM-95 is 100% derived from turmeric. The supplement is backed by extensive research. BCM-95 is comprised of 86% curcuminoids. The compound has 13 patents worldwide and is made in India.
The FDA recently granted the manufacturer of BCM-95 with a “no objection” letter after a Generally Recognized as Safe review of the company’s product. The product has been deemed safe up to 500 mg/day twice per day.
BCM-95 was also featured in a Scientific Reports study, which found the ““specific combination of curcuminoids and essential oils found in BCM-95 more significantly modulated various attributes of disease activity in a murine model of colitis than did a standalone curcumin ingredient or placebo.”