Novintum: bugging cancer

Springing off the endosymbiotic theory, which holds that mitochondria evolved from primitive bacteria, Novintum Bioscience Ltd. is targeting mitochondrial metabolism with antibiotics to treat relapsed or treatment-resistant cancers.

CEO Tim Sparey said Novintum’s strategy arose from the company’s observation that relapsed or treatment-resistant cancer cells produce more ATP and undergo more frequent mitochondrial biogenesis than normal cells, leading to greater proliferation and survival in those cells...