18,000 scholars, experts and researchers from around the world gathered for 5 days from April 2-6, 2011 in Orlando, Florida for the American Association for Cancer Research 102nd Annual Meeting 2011.
Being in a room surrounded by thousands of brilliant scholars discussing their latest work, eager to learn from one another is inspiring. Having the opportunity to report on the research findings of Winston Salem, NC scientists from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center testing the anti-cancer properties of products from a successful Davie County company, Nature’s Pearl, is exciting.
These annual meetings of the AACR bring the brightest minds in cancer research together to accelerate the growth and spread of new knowledge about cancer, making the AACR the authoritative source of information about advances in the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer.
Everyone knows someone who has been affected by the “C” word. We live in a country where approximately one of every two men will develop cancer, and one of every three women. But 33,000 members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) are working diligently to change that. Over 6,000 research summaries (abstracts) on the causes and treatment protocols for more than 200 types of cancer were presented at the 2011 AACR annual meeting.
Muscadine Extracts From Nature’s Pearl Show Promise For The Treatment and Prevention of Cancer
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers Dr. E. Ann Tallant and Dr. Patricia E. Gallagher offered one of the most innovative abstracts on the inhibition of cancer cell growth, not by a new pharmaceutical drug, but by muscadine grape extract.
Dr. Tallant and Dr. Gallagher, professors in the Hypertension and Vascular Research Center at Wake Forest Health Sciences in Winston-Salem, NC conducted a discussion of their clinical study on “Inhibition of Cancer Cell Growth by Muscadine Grape Seed and Grape Skin Extracts” April 5, 2011, at the Orange County Convention Center. The product tested was a natural dietary supplement from Nature’s Pearl, headquartered in Advance, N. C.
Promising Results
The abstract described the results of an investigation of muscadine grape seed and skin extract’s effects on seven types of human cancer: lung, colon, breast, skin, brain and leukemia cancers in vitro. For every type of human cancer cell tested, Nature’s Pearl muscadine extract inhibited or stopped the growth of the cancer.
The researchers discovered cancer cell growth for triple negative breast cancer cells was inhibited by 92.6%! Other cancers also showed significant inhibition by the muscadine extract: human lung adenocarcinoma was inhibited by 81.8%; human colon cancer was inhibited by 80.5%.
Next Steps
As the closing line of the abstract states: “These results demonstrate that extracts from muscadine grape seeds and muscadine grape skins inhibit the growth of human lung, colon, prostate, breast, skin, brain and leukemia cells in vitro, suggesting that further studies are warranted to investigate their potential use in the prevention or treatment of cancer.”
Drs. Tallant and Gallagher are currently conducting additional studies on the effects of Nature’s Pearl muscadine extract on cancer cell growth. When current research has been completed, Drs. Tallant and Gallagher anticipate seeking funding for additional research.
The research by Drs. Tallant and Gallagher stood out among the 6,000 abstracts announced at the 2011 AACR meeting, since only a small minority of the abstracts presented involved natural products instead of pharmaceutical drugs.
Working Toward a More Hopeful Future
The myriad of scientific study results presented at the convention inspires hope for the future of all those affected by the disease. Researchers at the 2011 meeting observed that even their own families are being devastated by cancer, making their desire to see progress made even more intense.
NEXT WEEK: Part 2 of our report on the 102nd Annual AACR Meeting
Additional Resources:
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
102nd Annual AACR Meeting, April 2-6, 2011
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Nature’s Pearl
Abstract: Inhibition of Cancer Cell Growth by Muscadine Grape Seed and Grape Skin Extracts
