Tweet
Scientist defends Jamaican prostate cancer research
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Dr Henry Lowe’s research partner, Dr Joseph Bryant, yesterday insisted that they have extracted powerful anti-cancer compounds from the Jamaican Ball Moss and pointed out that while their findings have not been published in scientific literature, they have been publicly presented, internationally patented and examined by experts in the field.
“We have extracted chemical compounds from a Jamaican indigenous plant (Ball Moss/Old Man’s Beard), which has been demonstrated to kill prostate cancer and other cancer cells in vitro and in vivo,” Dr Bryant said in a written response to scepticism raised about their research by Dr William Aiken, head of urology at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
BRYANT... we have clearly shown that the semi-purified and the purified compounds from Ball Moss isolates are powerful anti-cancer agents
var caption5536095 = document.getElementById('photocaption5536095').inn erHTML; var mygallery=new fadeSlideShow({ wrapperid: "fadeshow1", //ID of blank DIV on page to house Slideshow dimensions: [370, 245], //width/height of gallery in pixels. Should reflect dimensions of largest image imagearray: [ ["http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/assets/5536095/DR-JOSEPH-BRYANT_w370.jpg", "", "", caption5536095 ] ], displaymode: {type:'manual', pause:3000, cycles:0, wraparound:false}, persist: false, //remember last viewed slide and recall within same session? fadeduration: 500, //transition duration (milliseconds) descreveal: "always", togglerid: "slideshowtoggler" })
BRYANT... we have clearly shown that the semi-purified and the purified compounds from Ball Moss isolates are powerful anti-cancer agents
#slideshowtoggler, #slideshowtoggler a, #slideshowtoggler img {filter:none !important;zoom:normal !important}
1/1
“More specifically, we have identified, among others, a compound named Soya-sasponin 1, which has been shown to be a sialotransferase (SI) inhibitor,” Dr Bryant added.
In a letter responding to last Friday’s Observer lead story reporting on Dr Lowe’s prostate cancer research work, Dr Aiken said the urological community was sceptical of the claim of the development of a formula that can eliminate the deadly disease.
According to Dr Aiken, the urological community believes that the facts at this point in time have been overstated and the announcement was premature.
“The scientific discovery, development and subsequent marketing of a chemical agent claiming to have therapeutic efficacy is not a private affair but one that is subject to rigorous public scientific scrutiny at scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed academic journals, where hard evidence of scientific evaluation of efficacy and side-effects of the agent is objectively presented and critically assessed," said Dr Aiken.
"A paucity or lack of evidence of a chemical agent undergoing this rigorous process of critical evaluation serves as a red flag for possible ineffectiveness in humans, or even worse -- a potential source of harm," he added.
Dr Aiken said that there was a tremendous leap from a chemical agent demonstrating efficacy in inhibiting or killing cancer cells in a laboratory setting, to extrapolating that benefit to human beings, while at the same time demonstrating that it does not cause harmful or deadly side effects that would preclude its use.
"So large is that leap that such assumptions are not accepted by medical scientists, and therefore drugs demonstrating efficacy in the lab have to go through several phases of development and testing in human beings, a process lasting many years, before any such claims of efficacy in humans can be made or a drug brought to market," Dr Aiken said.
He said that while there was no doubt that Jamaica's unique, rich and diverse flora, and its strong tradition of folk medicine have "the potential to provide scientists and entrepreneurs with many opportunities for the successful discovery and exploration of active chemical agents demonstrating potential therapeutic efficacy in a variety of human diseases, Dr Lowe should be "more responsible in his pronouncements, lest he give men and their loved ones the false assurance that he can eliminate prostate cancer or any other disease anytime in the foreseeable future".
But in his response, Dr Bryant, who is based at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said that the research that he and Dr Lowe have done in the laboratory, in collaboration with the medical school is second to none.
"We have clearly shown that the semi-purified and the purified compounds from Ball Moss isolates are powerful anti-cancer agents that work through apoptosis in a series of five different cancers, including prostate cancer," said Dr Bryant. "This was announced three years ago, and significant additional data on the mechanism of action against cancers have been established."
Dr Bryant also pointed out that Dr Lowe has presented his findings at several scientific fora, the most recent being the International Drug Discovery Science and Technology in Beijing, China.
"It should be noted that some of the most challenging aspects of the work was performed at one of the premier biotech institutions in Boston, Massachusetts which, by the way, helped develop Taxol and Bryostatin. This biotech company works closely with the National Institute of Health in the United States," said Dr Bryant.
He said they were working very closely with the Natural Product Discovery branch of the Research Triangle Institute in the United States which is credited with the discovery of Taxol, one of the most potent anti-cancer drugs developed from a plant, and other well-known chemotherapeutic drugs.
"We, who are working with Dr Lowe, are confident that we will accomplish our goal of taking the isolation of the anti-cancer agents from the Ball Moss into a final ethical drug product in the near future," said Dr Bryant.
He insisted that their scientific process cannot be compromised, as "the publication of too much information will allow others to receive credit for this discovery instead of Dr Henry Lowe and his colleagues".
Last Thursday, at the launch of his Bio-Tech R&D Institute in Kingston, Dr Lowe said that he and his research partners have reached the final stages in the development of the Alpha Prostate Formula, which will be on the market in the next three months.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz17WyZFIi4
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Dr Henry Lowe’s research partner, Dr Joseph Bryant, yesterday insisted that they have extracted powerful anti-cancer compounds from the Jamaican Ball Moss and pointed out that while their findings have not been published in scientific literature, they have been publicly presented, internationally patented and examined by experts in the field.
“We have extracted chemical compounds from a Jamaican indigenous plant (Ball Moss/Old Man’s Beard), which has been demonstrated to kill prostate cancer and other cancer cells in vitro and in vivo,” Dr Bryant said in a written response to scepticism raised about their research by Dr William Aiken, head of urology at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
BRYANT... we have clearly shown that the semi-purified and the purified compounds from Ball Moss isolates are powerful anti-cancer agents
var caption5536095 = document.getElementById('photocaption5536095').inn erHTML; var mygallery=new fadeSlideShow({ wrapperid: "fadeshow1", //ID of blank DIV on page to house Slideshow dimensions: [370, 245], //width/height of gallery in pixels. Should reflect dimensions of largest image imagearray: [ ["http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/assets/5536095/DR-JOSEPH-BRYANT_w370.jpg", "", "", caption5536095 ] ], displaymode: {type:'manual', pause:3000, cycles:0, wraparound:false}, persist: false, //remember last viewed slide and recall within same session? fadeduration: 500, //transition duration (milliseconds) descreveal: "always", togglerid: "slideshowtoggler" })
BRYANT... we have clearly shown that the semi-purified and the purified compounds from Ball Moss isolates are powerful anti-cancer agents#slideshowtoggler, #slideshowtoggler a, #slideshowtoggler img {filter:none !important;zoom:normal !important}
1/1 “More specifically, we have identified, among others, a compound named Soya-sasponin 1, which has been shown to be a sialotransferase (SI) inhibitor,” Dr Bryant added.
In a letter responding to last Friday’s Observer lead story reporting on Dr Lowe’s prostate cancer research work, Dr Aiken said the urological community was sceptical of the claim of the development of a formula that can eliminate the deadly disease.
According to Dr Aiken, the urological community believes that the facts at this point in time have been overstated and the announcement was premature.
“The scientific discovery, development and subsequent marketing of a chemical agent claiming to have therapeutic efficacy is not a private affair but one that is subject to rigorous public scientific scrutiny at scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed academic journals, where hard evidence of scientific evaluation of efficacy and side-effects of the agent is objectively presented and critically assessed," said Dr Aiken.
"A paucity or lack of evidence of a chemical agent undergoing this rigorous process of critical evaluation serves as a red flag for possible ineffectiveness in humans, or even worse -- a potential source of harm," he added.
Dr Aiken said that there was a tremendous leap from a chemical agent demonstrating efficacy in inhibiting or killing cancer cells in a laboratory setting, to extrapolating that benefit to human beings, while at the same time demonstrating that it does not cause harmful or deadly side effects that would preclude its use.
"So large is that leap that such assumptions are not accepted by medical scientists, and therefore drugs demonstrating efficacy in the lab have to go through several phases of development and testing in human beings, a process lasting many years, before any such claims of efficacy in humans can be made or a drug brought to market," Dr Aiken said.
He said that while there was no doubt that Jamaica's unique, rich and diverse flora, and its strong tradition of folk medicine have "the potential to provide scientists and entrepreneurs with many opportunities for the successful discovery and exploration of active chemical agents demonstrating potential therapeutic efficacy in a variety of human diseases, Dr Lowe should be "more responsible in his pronouncements, lest he give men and their loved ones the false assurance that he can eliminate prostate cancer or any other disease anytime in the foreseeable future".
But in his response, Dr Bryant, who is based at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said that the research that he and Dr Lowe have done in the laboratory, in collaboration with the medical school is second to none.
"We have clearly shown that the semi-purified and the purified compounds from Ball Moss isolates are powerful anti-cancer agents that work through apoptosis in a series of five different cancers, including prostate cancer," said Dr Bryant. "This was announced three years ago, and significant additional data on the mechanism of action against cancers have been established."
Dr Bryant also pointed out that Dr Lowe has presented his findings at several scientific fora, the most recent being the International Drug Discovery Science and Technology in Beijing, China.
"It should be noted that some of the most challenging aspects of the work was performed at one of the premier biotech institutions in Boston, Massachusetts which, by the way, helped develop Taxol and Bryostatin. This biotech company works closely with the National Institute of Health in the United States," said Dr Bryant.
He said they were working very closely with the Natural Product Discovery branch of the Research Triangle Institute in the United States which is credited with the discovery of Taxol, one of the most potent anti-cancer drugs developed from a plant, and other well-known chemotherapeutic drugs.
"We, who are working with Dr Lowe, are confident that we will accomplish our goal of taking the isolation of the anti-cancer agents from the Ball Moss into a final ethical drug product in the near future," said Dr Bryant.
He insisted that their scientific process cannot be compromised, as "the publication of too much information will allow others to receive credit for this discovery instead of Dr Henry Lowe and his colleagues".
Last Thursday, at the launch of his Bio-Tech R&D Institute in Kingston, Dr Lowe said that he and his research partners have reached the final stages in the development of the Alpha Prostate Formula, which will be on the market in the next three months.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz17WyZFIi4
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015