Antiproliferative Activity of Glycosaminoglycan-Like Polysaccharides Derived from Marine Molluscs.

Despite the increasing availability of new classes of cancer treatment, such as immune- and targeted therapies, there remains a need for the development of new antiproliferative/cytotoxic drugs with improved pharmacological profiles that can also overcome drug resistant forms of cancer. In this study, we have identified, and characterised, a novel marine polysaccharide with the potential to be developed as an anticancer agent. Sulphated polysaccharides isolated from the common cockle () were shown to have antiproliferative activity on chronic myelogenous leukaemia and relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cell lines.