A British researcher has talked about her mission to find safe substances that can be used to prevent cancer.
Substances found in red wine and curry continue to offer the best hope of an anti-cancer pill, according to Professor Karen Brown, of Leicester University.
Professor Brown has joined the department of cancer studies and molecular medicine and will give an inaugural lecture on Tuesday.
She said several "promising" drugs should not be used because of serious side-effects.
Professor Brown has also been studying chemicals that cause cancer, such as a chemical PhIP found in some cooked meat.
She said: "It is vital that the agents used are absolutely safe since they will be taken on a long-term basis by high-risk healthy people, and this has ruled out several promising pharmaceutical drugs that can cause serious side effects.
"We have therefore concentrated our efforts on naturally occurring compounds.
"As a group, our research spans the discovery of new chemopreventive agents, preclinical screening, and elucidation of the mechanisms of action through to early phase clinical trials."
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