They can be used to wash dishes, scrub skin and clean countertops. Now, researchers have announced that sea sponges may also contribute to cutting-edge cancer research.

A study out of Imperial College London has shown that psammaplin A, which is a chemical that naturally occurs in marine sponges, appears to have cancer- and malaria-fighting properties. Their results appeared in the journal Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry.

The chemical’s apparent health benefits stem from its ability to block the action of histone deacetylase 1, an enzyme in the human body that has been linked to the genetic process involved in cancer growth.

A coordinator for the Association for International Cancer Research, which funded the study, noted that “several highly effective cancer drugs were first discovered as natural compounds.” He added that for full effectiveness, scientists typically have to modify these compounds and synthesize them in the lab.

Sponges have a variety of scientific and medicinal uses. Researchers recently discovered the genetic origins of mammals and cancer by sequencing the DNA of a sponge.