UK researchers exploring 'chemoprevention' to stall cancer

The chemoprevention of cancer from natural phytochemicals has been a focus pf the University of Leicester's chemistry department.

Researchers at the University of Leicester who have been studying the possible chemopreventive properties of natural products including resveratrol (from grapes, red wine, nuts and berries), curcumin (from turmeric–curry) and tricin (contained in wild rice) will present their findings Thursday, June 26th, during the Festival of Postgraduate Research.

Chemoprevention involves the use of natural or synthetic products such as drugs and vitamins to prevent or delay the formation of cancer.

“The prevention of cancer is an alternative to the treatment of the disease using chemotherapy which has many unpleasant side effects," according to Charles Simon, a post graduate student at Leicester who has been involved with the research. The aim of this project is to learn lessons from those compounds to produce treatments with little or no side effects.”

After heart disease, cancer is the single largest cause of death in the UK and in most developed countries. Statistics from Cancer Research UK indicate that more than one-in-three people will be affected by cancer at some point in their life -- either by developing cancer themselves or friends or relatives who have the disease. 


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