New Nature paper authored by Dr. Satchin Panda and colleagues showed that pharmacological activation of receptors involved in circadian rhythm reduced the growth of glioblastoma in mice as effective as standard chemo but w/o apparent side effects.

Activation of this particular circadian pathway killed cancer cells by inhibiting lipid production and autophagy, which allows for the recycling of nutrients. Inhibition of access to nutrients prevented the cancer cells from dividing and growing because cancer cells need more nutrients and more recycled materials to build new cells.

In healthy cells, fat synthesis and autophagy are allowed to occur for about 12 hours a day…and are part of a normal, healthy metabolism. The rest of the time, these processes are low so that the cells are not flooded with excessive fat synthesis and recycled nutrients.