Planting seeds for cancer research

November 1, 2010

By hammersmith

[Source: AZCC] – Take a look outside. Where you may see a rocky landscape filled with prickly desert plants, one Arizona Cancer Center member sees a field of possibility.

Leslie Gunatilaka, PhD, looks at arid plants and the microorganisms that live in association with them for new cancer drugs and their drug targets.

As the director of the University of Arizona’s Southwest Center for Natural Products Research and Commercialization, known as the Natural Products Center, he and his team have discovered several compounds in desert organisms that can significantly inhibit the growth of tumors. They have also developed a new method to improve the production of natural products by using an innovative cultivation method.

For more information: Planting seeds for cancer research