Jack Summers, assistant professor of chemistry at Western Carolina University, has been working with the Asheville-based Bent Creek Institute for the past two years in a study hoping to identify compounds from Appalachian plant life that help in fighting cancer.

Working out of a Stillwell Building research lab, Summers and his team of Western Carolina graduate and undergraduate students have discovered that compounds found in apples, onions and even some red wines appear to inhibit an enzyme that has been linked to the survival of cancerous cells.  This class of enzyme is also important to the survival of bacteria, such as those that cause tuberculosis. This prompted Summers to team up with Lori Seischab, assistant professor of biology, to investigate the effects of the compounds on bacterial survival.

Germany’s Bruker Group, manufacturers of biotechnological equipment, have run 500 test samples for the project, and Summers says he is excited about the increasingly positive results and the high amount of outside interest in the project.

Jeff Schmitt, director of research at the Bent Creek Institute, said that the research could lead to a medical patent and have an impact on the local economy. “If we’re lucky and develop a new drug, then we have the basis for a new cancer therapy center. This would be a huge contribution to the field that will turn Asheville into a major sustainable health environment,” Schmitt said. Western North Carolina is one of the most bio-diverse zones in America and the plethora of plant species that can be studied simultaneously has the potential to make the region a major player in the biotech field, said Schmitt.

Summers and Seischab have received more than $70,000 in grant money from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to support the work, and Summers plans to submit grant proposals this fall to continue the research.

“The most important thing is to learn everything we can,” said Summers. “What keeps me going is that I know we are working to improve the chances of life for other people.”

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Last Modified: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009