A CONVERSATION WITH RAJESH AGARWAL, PHD Co-program leader of Cancer Prevention and Control at CU Cancer Center Professor at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
BY GA RT H S U N D E M
After earning a PhD in organic chemistry, a post-doc position in a cancer lab helped
are effective but why they are effective. The thing is,
Rajesh Agarwal make the transition to cancer science. Now 30 years later, Agarwal is
cell biology and molecular biology keep advancing
one of the most accomplished scientists looking to naturally occurring compounds for
and now we have the tools to ask questions we
the prevention and control of cancer. Here we talk with Dr. Agarwal about his work.
couldn’t ask before. We’re looking at how these compounds work—what genes and pathways
C3: In last few years, you’ve published
People who are suffering have more connection
within the cell they target—so that we can refine
exciting findings with compounds derived
with this kind of research. So it’s much easier to
these treatments.
from milk thistle, grape seed and bitter
study the effectiveness of these compounds in
melon, to name a few. This work has been
treating cancer than it is to study their use in pre-
C3: How is the funding climate for research
featured in top journals including JNCI,
vention. So yes, we know that these compounds
with natural compounds?
Cancer Research, etc. Do you think it’s
are active in treating cancer. We have population
Agarwal: So, you know, I just came back from the
been difficult to find acceptance for your
evidence to show they’re active in preventing cancer,
meeting of the American Association for Cancer
work within the scientific community spe-
but proving their effectiveness in prevention is
Research. Everyone there was worried about fund-
cifically because you work with “natural”
much more difficult.
ing. It’s a hard climate and the number of grants being funded is dropping really fast. It’s not a matter
compounds? Agarwal: Actually, you wouldn’t know it but
C3: You’ve been at this 30 years now. In
of your compound—it’s hard for everyone. I think
many of the cancer medicines now in use were
that time, have you seen the culture of
it’s especially hard for young scientists, but I started
derived from sources in nature. Just because a
studying “natural” compounds change?
my grant 20 years ago and my lab continues to
compound comes from a flower or a fruit or a
Agarwal: Certainly. It used to be that we would
work with three active R01 grants. I’ve learned to
melon, doesn’t mean that it is any more or less
simply test compounds for activity—we would treat
keep working on what you want to study—to go
potent than compounds that were engineered
cancer cells with silibinin [from milk thistle] or grape
where your interest and expertise lead. As a scien-
from scratch in a laboratory.
seed extract and notice how the cancer cells or
tist, my job is to find anything that could eventually
animal models were affected. Recently, we’ve seen
be effective in people. That’s my goal anyway.
C3: So is it safe to say that eating or
a major shift toward asking not only if compounds
otherwise using these natural compounds CASEY CAS S
can help reduce the cancer risk for healthy people and help the prognosis for people diagnosed with cancer? Agarwal: Let me tell you a story. After we published the most recent article on bitter melon [which was found to selectively kill pancreatic cancer cells], I had literally hundreds of phone calls, hundreds of e-mails. But I didn’t have one call from a person unaffected by cancer. Everyone—he or she or a loved one—was having a pancreatic cancer issue.
Learn more about Dr. Agarwal’s research by searching “Agarwal” on www.coloradocancerblogs.org
Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, shows that natural compounds derived from milk thistle, grape seed and bitter melon may combat or even prevent a range of cancers.
10 WWW.COLORADOCANCERCENTER.ORG