A compound from fish oil offers hope for a leukemia cure, Penn State announced this week, citing findings by its own researchers.

According to a university statement, the compound is produced from fish oil and seems to target stem cells of chronic myelogenous leukemia in mice.

The compound itself -- identified as Eicosapentaenoic Acid -- is an Omega-3 fatty acid found in fish and fish oil, according to the statement.

"Research in the past on fatty acids has shown the health benefits of fatty acids on cardiovascular-system and brain development, particularly in infants," associate professor Sandeep Prabhu said in the statement. "But we have shown that some metabolites of Omega-3 have the ability to selectively kill the leukemia-causing stem cells in mice. The important thing is that the mice were completely cured of leukemia with no relapse."

Prabhu is a faculty member in immunology and molecular toxicology in the Department of Veterinary and Medical Sciences.

The findings that he and and his colleagues developed have been released in the current issue of "Blood." Penn State reported that the researchers are applying for a patent and preparing to test the compound in human trials.

A report from Penn State Live is available on this page.