One in two men and one in three women in the United States have a lifetime risk for developing cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute — a frightening yet inspiring statistic for those in search of a cure.

“Everyone knows someone who has been affected by this horrible disease,” says associate professor of biology Sarah Crawford, who serves as director of Southern’s Cancer Biology Research Laboratory. “Our research brings a sense of satisfaction that is not only creative and intellectual, but emotional as well.” It is also becoming increasingly significant.

Since its establishment in 1996, Southern’s Cancer Biology Research Laboratory has provided vital real-world experience in biomedical research to approximately 60 undergraduate and graduate students — and led to numerous scientific breakthroughs and several patent applications in the process. In October, a patent was filed for PRIMIPLEX, an acronym for “primitive plant extract.” Created from common mosses, ferns, and lichens, the extract is the brainchild of Erin Boisvert, ’07, who learned about the anti-inflammatory properties of mosses during a classroom lecture on the “bog people,” amazingly well-preserved bodies, some thousands of years old, that were found in sphagnum bogs of Europe. In preclinical testing, the extract has shown more significant cancer-fighting properties than many conventional chemotherapy drugs.

A provisional patent also was granted in 2007 related to the identification of novel cell components called “tissue organizing structures,” or “TOS,” and an international patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is underway. These structures appear to play an important role in many regulatory aspects of multicellular systems. In addition to having potential applications in cancer prevention and therapy, TOS may play a role in tissue bioengineering and gene therapy. Herbert Potter, ’07, and Tasino Herbert, ’07, both biology majors who graduated with departmental honors, are playing instrumental roles in the research, which is being conducted in the laboratory but not on any living organisms.

The initial findings are extremely promising. When TOS isolated from lung cancer cells was added to normal lung cells they rapidly became malignant. The process also worked in reverse. When TOS from normal cells was combined with cancer cells, the latter became healthy.

“It’s the most exciting research of my career to date,” says Crawford, who brings to Southern the résumé of a seasoned scientist. Having earned a graduate degree in biochemistry from Princeton University and a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biophysics from Columbia, Crawford was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, the world’s oldest and largest private cancer center — and among the most prestigious.

But it was as an undergraduate that she first fell in love with the mysteries and complexities of the scientific method. “I didn’t know how science was conducted but I liked my laboratory classes. One of my professors saw that I had a knack for research and I was given the opportunity to learn,” says Crawford. “That’s one of the reasons I am so in favor of providing research opportunities for students. I saw the power of it firsthand.”

Having joined Southern in 1993, Crawford loved teaching but missed the unique rewards and challenges of research — challenges and rewards she wanted to share with her students. Three years later, when she came across some boxes of lab equipment and found some available space in Jennings Hall, the university’s primary science building, Crawford asked for permission to establish a laboratory. Today, the small but thriving laboratory is housed in the Biology Department, under Crawford’s leadership.

“It was initially a challenge because the department had not een set up to do biological research,” says Crawford. “But now we function very well and there are advantages. We have the freedom to experiment with new ideas that might not be possible if we were conducting research on a large scale. Here, there is real freedom.”

And with that freedom comes opportunity, says Erin Boisvert, ’07, whose idea sparked research that lead to the development of PRIMIPLEX. Fade back to Boisvert’s freshman year. Sitting home during spring break, Boisvert, then enrolled in Southern’s Honors College, found herself reflecting on a lecture by Professor Emeritus of Biology Noble Proctor about the preserved “bog people.” “I was so intrigued to learn that there was a plant that had such an influence on tissue,” she says. “I wanted to see if something could be done with medical applications. It was at home that I had this epiphany. Maybe it could be used to fight cancer.”

Boisvert began telling others about her idea but found their reactions lukewarm at best, her detractors pointing to everything from her youth and inexperience to the lack of funding and other research resources. Then, at the urging of another professor, Boisvert approached Dr. Crawford. “I really didn’t think the idea was bizarre at all,” says Crawford, who notes that several common chemotherapy drugs — including taxol and vincristine — are derived from plants.

“These primitive plants have anti-inflammatory properties,” Crawford continues. “Some anti-inflammatory products are already showing some promise of having cancer-fighting abilities. So, it didn’t sound far fetched. Of course, you never know what the testing will show, but in theory, I thought it might have potential.”

In the laboratory, the plant extracts’ performance far exceeded Boisvert’s and Crawford’s expectations, exhibiting very potent anti-cancer effects, in many instances, more so than traditional chemotherapy drugs. In some cases, these extracts were found to be even more effective when used in concert with conventional chemotherapeutics.

The testing, which was conducted in vitro, focused primarily on colon and brain cancer, but it also has been successfully applied to numerous other cancers, including lung cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia. Equally promising, the extract also appears to have a therapeutic use for preventing cancer — and since the substances are natural and nontoxic, they may well not have the debilitating side effects often associated with chemotherapy.

Crawford is hopeful that the treatments will be accepted for clinical testing within the next several years. “While we are still in the preclinical testing stage, the results so far are very exciting,” she says. “The testing we have done has been with three-dimensional tumors, about one to three millimeters in size, which are more lifelike than the two-dimensional types.” Today, the researchers are working to identify the biological source of the potent cancer fighter found in PRIMIPLEX to access potential side effects.

“As a young scientist, to have the opportunity to test my hypothesis and come away with it confirmed was truly amazing,” says Boisvert, who is attending graduate school at the University of Connecticut and ultimately hopes to teach and conduct research.

Current researchers Tasino Herbert and Herbert Potter, who were instrumental in the discovery of TOS, concur, adding that the research opportunities offered at Southern are rare—even for those who have worked in biological research facilities. Potter, a self-proclaimed non-traditional student, had more than seven years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing and support with Bayer Pharmaceuticals when a layoff spurred his return to the classroom. Tasino Herbert, likewise, came to Southern having worked as a research assistant at the St. Kitts Biomedical Research Foundation and, once at the university, honed his skills with a mentorship through the university’s prestigious CRISP program, a joint venture between Southern, Yale University, and the Brookhaven National Laboratory funded by the National Science Foundation.

“It’s very unusual for a lab to let you research an idea that you come up with,” says Potter. “A lot of places dictate what you will work on. Dr. Crawford is very much into promoting your research.”

Herbert agrees. “Even if it is something she thinks will not work, she is open to it. And in the end, you learn so much from the experience.” In terms of the discovery of TOS, Potter’s and Herbert’s deductions have been decidedly on target, and the two joined Crawford in presenting the lab’s findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in December. Both alumni hope to continue their studies at the doctoral level. Potter is currently taking several graduate courses at Southern.

“That’s one of the most wonderful aspects of conducting research at a university,” sums Crawford. “You get to play a part in enhancing the careers of others — talented, highly intelligent people who will go out into the world as doctors, teachers, and researchers — and make a difference.”

The Mother of Invention

Past and present researchers from Southern’s Cancer Biology Research Laboratory reflect on some of the factors that led them to the lab.

“I always liked science and looking at the way things worked. I figured I would enjoy learning how people work.” — Tasino Herbert, ’07

“One of the defining events of my life was being in the hospital when I was nine years old. I ended up being fine, but I was on a ward with seriously ill children. Prior to this point I had no real concept that life might end at such an early point. I was fascinated and horrified at the same time and became determined that I would do something to help.” — Dr. Sarah Crawford

“Unfortunately, I have lost family members to cancer. My dad has cancer, so, yes, there is a strong personal interest in this research. But it wasn’t just personal. It was also about making the connection between what I knew about the bog people and how that information might be used medically. I wanted to make the leap.” — Erin Boisvert, ’07

“I’m very inquisitive . . . the type of person who enjoys puzzles, particularly logic puzzles and crosswords. I’ve liked science for as long as I can remember. Working at Bayer Pharmaceuticals really reignited this interest. Research satisfies my inquisitive nature.” — Herbert Potter, ’07