Natural Inhibitors of Carcinogenesis

The objective of this program project grant (P01 CA48112) is the discovery and characterization of natural product inhibitors of carcinogenesis. Plants are collected from throughout the world, and subjected to bioassay-directed fractionation. The active principles are structurally defined, and subjected to more advanced levels of testing. With the cooperation of three separate institutions (Purdue University, University of Illinois at Chicago, Scripps Institution of Oceanography), we have assembled a multidisciplinary team focused on the discovery and characterization of new cancer chemopreventive agents that are natural products or natural product derivatives. The scope of the program project entails promoting new cancer chemopreventive agents from the level of the field or sea, to the level of structurally- and mechanistically-defined chemical entities of proven therapeutic efficacy. These undertakings require the coordinated effort of four separate projects that are assisted by three core components and an External Advisory Board. To facilitate utilization of the newly discovered agents for the prevention of human cancers, which is the long-term objective of this program project, partnerships will be fostered with the NCI (e.g, through the RAPID program) or the private sector. All elements of the program project have proven effective, and we anticipate unabated progress in the future.