Simple Supplement Mix Shows Promise Against Brain Cancer

A simple resveratrol copper supplement reduces glioblastoma aggression by clearing harmful cell-free chromatin particles, offering a safe, low cost healing approach to cancer.

A new clinical study is reshaping one of medicine’s oldest ideas: that cancer must be aggressively destroyed to be cured. Instead, researchers from the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Mumbai, report that a gentle, inexpensive supplement mix may actually help heal tumors from within. Their findings on glioblastoma one of the deadliest brain cancers were recently published in BJC Reports.

A Low Cost Nutraceutical Strategy With Striking Effects

Glioblastoma remains one of the hardest cancers to treat, with average survival rarely exceeding 15 months even after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Seeking a more holistic approach, Professor Indraneel Mittra and his team explored whether a simple supplement could influence tumor biology without harming healthy tissues.

They tested a tablet containing tiny doses of resveratrol and copper, taken four times daily for roughly 12 days before surgery. Ten patients received the supplement, while ten matched patients served as controls.

During surgery, researchers collected tumor tissue and analysed each sample using advanced imaging and molecular tools. The results surprised even the scientists.

Tumors Became Less Aggressive Without Any Side Effects

Patients who received the supplement showed dramatic biological changes inside their tumors:

• Ki-67, a key marker of tumor growth, dropped by nearly one third.
• Biomarkers linked to the hallmarks of cancer were present in 57% fewer cells.
• Six major immune checkpoints  often targeted by costly immunotherapy drugs  were 41% lower.
• Stem-cell-related markers, tied to recurrence and resistance, decreased by 56%.

Notably, no patients experienced side effects, making this approach unusually safe compared with conventional treatments.

According to the researchers, these shifts reflect a move toward a “healed” tumor environment rather than one locked in aggressive mutation and inflammation.

Targeting Hidden Drivers: Cell Free Chromatin Particles

The key lies in cell-free chromatin particles (cfChPs)  fragments of DNA released by dying cancer cells that inflame and worsen tumors. Resveratrol and copper together generate oxygen radicals that neutralize these particles.

In treated patients, cfChPs were nearly absent. Without these inflammatory triggers, tumor cells behaved more calmly, showing fewer aggressive traits.

Professor Mittra suggests that longer use might someday turn malignant cancers into benign, controlled tissue a profound shift in cancer therapy philosophy.