Question

why is colchicine of interest to cancer researchers?

Answer 1

Check this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchicine

Answer 2

lol i had never heard of this, and I'm a cancer researcher O_o
But that looks like a super reactive chemical, probably binds easily to A=T rich major grove'd areas.

Answer 3

colchcine is a poisen for embryo. Colchicine interfere separation of chromosome in cell division.
As we know cancerous cells are continuously dividing and normal cells are not. Thus we may use it to stop cancer growth.
other factors will be important for its use as drug.

Answer 4

Colchicine can be used in the preparation of metaphase spreads - these are chromosomes from cells which have been stopped during division so the mitotic chromosomes are visible under the microscope. Chromosomal abnormalities can be seen in cancer cells - such as chromosomal translocations, where part of one chromosome gets linked to another, sometimes producing fusion proteins like BCR-ABL which is common in CML (chronic myeloid leukaemia). Drugs have been designed to inhibit this fusion protein. I hope this helps,