A team at the University of Pennsylvania modified some of the chemicals in the toxic crop fungus Aspergillus flavus, aka the “pharaohs’ curse” fungus, and created a new compound that kills leukemia cells. A deadly fungus for a deadly diseaseThe same deadly fungus is now being looked at as a potential cancer treatment. The genetic analysis pointed to a particular protein in A. flavus as a source of fungal RiPPs. Combining both metabolic and genetic information pinpointed the source of the useful fungal RiPPs in A. flavus and could be used to find other fungal RiPPs in the future. This means even more fungal RiPPS could be out there.