Research Abstract
The focus of my research is the study of the role that diet and nutrition may play in the prevention and treatment of certain types of cancer such as breast, prostate, pancreatic and bladder cancers, and to investigate the mechanisms of action of active dietary and nutritional components. My important research strategies include application of an integrated research system to evaluate the efficacies of dietary/nutritional regimens, to elucidate underlying cellular, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of actions, to identify novel anti-cancer components, and to define risk factors of cancer development and progression for designing effective nutritional regimens for cancer prevention. By using in vitro and clinically relevant animal models, we are identifying effective dietary/nutritional regimens for cancer prevention. We are applying cell function-guided extraction, fractionation and purification strategies to identify active components from Chinese herbal medicines for the prevention and therapy of cancer. In addition, we are investigating the roles that nutritional and natural components may play in targeting cancer stem cells. Our research findings can be directly translated into future clinical investigations.