Research Interest:
“Chemoprevention” is a discipline of cancer research that is less than 20 years old and embraces the idea that cancer can be prevented or precancers can be inhibited from progressing to cancer by the use of natural compounds or pharmaceuticals. Natural products can include substances from wine and green tea, fruits and vegetables, compounds in herbs and spices, vitamins and minerals, and dietary supplements. The lab has an interest in both terrestrial and marine botanicals. Via the pharmaceutical route, drug development has led to the discovery of compounds like tamoxifen for the prevention of breast cancer, aspirin for colon cancer prevention, and finesteride for prostate cancer prevention.

The focus of the lab is on the role of inflammation in setting up a high risk for colon cancer. We’re convinced that chronic, clinically undetectable inflammation at the cellular level enables many of the common cancers to form and grow. Tumors corrupt inflammatory pathways to survive. We are looking at ways to prevent this.