Plant-derived anti-cancer compounds explained at national conference
Compounds derived from plant-based sources—including garlic, broccoli and medicine plants—confer protective effects against breast cancer, explain researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), partner with the UPMC CancerCenter.
In multiple presentations Sunday at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2014, UPCI scientists will update the cancer research community on their National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded findings, including new discoveries about the mechanisms by which the plant-derived compounds work.
"In recent years, we've made some very encouraging discoveries indicating that certain plants contain cancer-fighting compounds," said Shivendra Singh, Ph.D., UPMC Chair in Cancer Prevention Research and professor in Pitt's Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology.
"By understanding the molecular mechanisms by which these plant-derived compounds work against breast cancer, we hope to find efficient ways to use them to prevent and fight cancer in patients."
At the AACR poster session "Mechanisms of Chemoprevention," Dr. Singh will oversee four presentations by Pitt pharmacology & chemical biology researchers on plant-derived compound discoveries in his laboratory.
