Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder affecting 1 per 3000 individuals on average. Patients develop a variety of developmental benign and malignant pathologies. The most common tumors associated with NF1 are peripheral sheath tumors, including neurofibromas, optical gliomas, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors.
Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) developed novel analogs of the natural product schweinfurthin that inhibits growth of NF1-associated pathologies. The schweinfurthin analogs show inhibitory activity against mouse and human NF1 cancer cell lines. Glioma, diffuse B cell lymphoma, and leukemia cell lines also show significant sensitivity against the schweinfurthin analogs.