Researchers from Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes revealed the anticancer activity of PvD1, a plant defensin isolated from the common bean, on breast tumor cells and the ability of this defensin in hampering tumor cells’ adhesion to the blood-brain barrier cells. For this study, scientists combined spectroscopic techniques with atomic force microscopy (AFM) for evaluating the biomechanical changes that cells suffer upon PvD1 contact.
