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MIT and Harvard Researchers Revive Cancer Drug After 50 Years

1/8/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Mohammad Movassaghi of MIT and Jun Qi of Harvard Medical School led researchers who synthesized Verticilline A for the first time in more than 50 years.
Movassaghi and Qi completed a 16-step synthesis that produced Verticilline A variants.
The research could broaden cancer treatment options, particularly for diffuse midline glioma, a pediatric brain cancer.
The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

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Story summary

Mohammad Movassaghi of MIT and Jun Qi of Harvard Medical School led researchers who synthesized Verticilline A for the first time in more than 50 years.
Movassaghi and Qi completed a 16-step synthesis that produced Verticilline A variants.
The research could broaden cancer treatment options, particularly for diffuse midline glioma, a pediatric brain cancer.
The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.