Researchers at University of Rochester Medical Center have found that an antioxidant that occurs naturally in wine may reach and destroy mitochondria, thereby destroying the pancreatic cancer cells. The researchers further say that the link between the mitochondria and antioxidant is significant, since mitochondria has its own DNA and is the core power supplier for the cells.

Pre-clinical studies conducted by Yale scientists have indicated that the NV-128 compound can induce the death of chemo-resistant ovarian cancer cells by halting the activation of a protein pathway called mTOR. mTOR signals enhance tumor growth in cancerous cells and inhibition of mTOR could shut down many of these survival pathways, including proteins that protect the mitochondria of cancer cells. NV-128, developed by Novogen Limited, holds promise as a more targeted therapy for ovarian cancer because it works differently from traditional therapies that are dependent on enzymes, known as caspases, to trigger cell death.