An anti-cancer substance called taxol is found in yew trees. The process of harvesting this substance from the yew bark is expensive. A new study has revealed that taxol can also be derived from a kind of microbial 'bandage' that protects these trees from disease-causing fungi. This finding may lead to a less expensive synthetic process for making more of the cancer-fighting substance.

Study co-author Manish Raizada from University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, said, "This is the first study to show how fungi living naturally in yew trees serve as a combination bandage-immune system for the plant. Drug companies might one day harness beneficial fungi to pump out more taxol cheaply and easily to meet demand. It could be be a 'holy grail' for cancer drug makers."

The researchers observed that naturally occurring fungi in the yew's vascular system act like an immune system to swarm a wound site and protect against invading pathogens. The taxol fungicide is contained in 'fatty bodies' that direct it only against pathogens and not the sensitive tissues of the tree.