A new report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences have discovered that a traditional Chinese herb, Indirubin used to treat leukemia may be useful in slowing the growth of certain cancers.

Dr. Richard Jove and his associates of the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida have isolated the compound E804, a derivative of Indirubin and have shown a decrease in the levels of activated Stat3, a protein known to play a role in tumor growth and the spread of specific types of cancer, especially breast and prostate cancer.

The authors suggest that the indirubin derivative E804 has potential as a cancer therapeutic agent.