Ketamine
In medicine, ketamine is used as an anesthetic. In clubs, where it's better known as "special K," ketamine is snorted or sometimes injected, with users saying it creates feelings of euphoria and being "out of your body." REUTERS

British scientists have found that a modified form of the drug MDMA, also known as Ecstasy, might be able to treat certain forms of cancer.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK and the University of Western Australia have chemically re-engineered Ecstasy by replacing atoms, the BBC News reported.

The study was published in the journal Investigational New Drugs.

Researchers from Birmingham explained that Ecstasy has anti-cancer qualities, but that modified forms of the drug are 100 times more powerful.

Unmodified Ecstasy can help cancer, but the high dosage required would kill the patient, hence the modified form of the drug.

This is an exciting next step towards using a modified form of MDMA to help people suffering from blood cancer, lead author John Gordon said. While we would not wish to give people false hope, the results of this research hold the potential for improvement in treatments in years to come.

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