Clark Atlanta University (an HBCU) and Emory University (an REI) have recently embarked on a number of significant collaborations. These include the NIH-supported Grady Center for Health Equality which is funded through a P60 mechanism as well as previous indirect support from a P20, collaboration between CAU and WCI prior to the development of the Center. Drs. McGeady (CAU) and Kimbro (Emory) have a good working relationship stretching back nearly a decade and work together closely as key personnel in the Grady Center for Health Equality. Additionally, they have submitted an R21 proposal to the NCCAM/NIH to study the effects of Morinda citrifolia on prostate cancer cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. We propose a plan to strengthen the collaborative relationship between these two institutions and advance the study of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) at both institutions. In particular we propose to plan a collaborative research in the study of herbal preparations on the growth of prostate cancer cell lines under normoxic and hypoxic conditions with particular attention to those preparation that have an effect on the Ras/Map Kinase pathway. Prostate cancer is a disease that disproportionately affects African American men. It is our hypothesis, supported by our preliminary data, is that prostate cancer cells under hypoxic conditions, such as those found in solid tumors, are particularly sensitive to substances that interfere with the Ras/Map-Kinase pathway. Numerous natural products are known to interfere with this pathway and it is our intention to examine a number of complex botanical extracts for their effect on this pathway.
| Kimbro, Kevin; Parker, Sabrenia (2009) Recent patents in Toll-like receptor pathways and relevance to cancer. Recent Pat Anticancer Drug Discov 4:189-95 |
